Key points
- The National Population Commission (NPC) says it plans to establish 8,000 digital civil registration centres nationwide.
- The commission has already extended digital civil registration services to about 4,000 of Nigeria’s 8,809 wards.
- More than 4,000 functional registration centres have been established across the 774 Local Government Areas.
- Nigeria launched its nationwide fully digital Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system on the VitalReg platform on July 1, ending manual registration.
- NPC says the initiative will make birth and death registration more accessible, particularly in underserved communities.
- The commission is collaborating with NIMC, ALGON, UNICEF and other stakeholders to close registration gaps.
- UNICEF says birth registration is a fundamental right and provides the legal identity needed to access essential services.
Main Story
The National Population Commission (NPC) says it is targeting 8,000 digital civil registration centres nationwide as part of efforts to decentralise birth and death registration and improve access to vital statistics.
The Chairman of the Commission, Dr Aminu Yusuf, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a media conference to commemorate the 2026 Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day.
Yusuf said digital civil registration services had already been extended to about 4,000 of Nigeria’s 8,809 wards, while more than 4,000 functional registration centres had been established across the 774 Local Government Areas.
He said the expansion, combined with the nationwide deployment of the VitalReg platform, would bring registration services closer to communities and reduce barriers to accessing birth and death registration.
Nigeria inaugurated its nationwide fully digital CRVS system on the VitalReg platform on July 1, marking the end of the manual registration system.
According to Yusuf, the digital system would improve the timely production and dissemination of vital statistics, while strengthening the country’s ability to capture vital events.
He said more than five million children were born annually in Nigeria, but significant gaps remained in the registration of births and deaths.
To address the gaps, the commission is working with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF and Bankforte Technologies Ltd.
NPC is also collaborating with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state governments and health institutions to integrate birth registration into routine health services.
The Issues
The major challenge remains the large number of births and deaths that are not formally registered, particularly in remote and underserved communities.
Although Nigeria has moved from manual to digital registration, the effectiveness of the new system will depend on whether registration centres, trained personnel and digital infrastructure are available across the country.
Identity duplication is another concern. NPC’s integration with NIMC is designed to address this by linking a child’s registration to the mother’s identity and generating a unique number before the issuance of a National Identification Number.
The initiative also highlights the importance of reaching children born outside health facilities, where conventional hospital-based registration systems may not capture vital events.
What’s Being Said
Dr Aminu Yusuf, Chairman, NPC
Yusuf said the expansion was designed to bring registration services closer to communities.
“Combined with the nationwide deployment of the VitalReg platform, this expansion will bring registration services much closer to communities.”
He said digitalisation would strengthen the country’s capacity to produce reliable vital statistics.
“Digitalisation enables the timely production and dissemination of vital statistics.”
Mrs Adaku Obodo, Head, Birth and Death Registration, NPC
Obodo said the integration of NPC’s registration system with NIMC would help prevent multiple registration and identity duplication.
She said the commission was also developing a community birth alert system with UNICEF support to ensure that births occurring outside health facilities were captured.
“This is to ensure that as we progress with digital registration, all aspects are covered, both at the health facility and community level.”
She added that about 4,000 ALGON registrars had been trained to conduct birth registration, with efforts continuing to cover remaining areas.
Ms Natalie McCauley, Chief of Child Protection, UNICEF Nigeria
McCauley described birth registration as a fundamental right and a child’s first legal recognition by the state.
“A birth certificate offers proof of identity and lays the foundation for accessing essential services such as healthcare, education, social protection and child protection.”
She said children in remote and underserved communities remained particularly vulnerable to growing up without proof of legal identity.
“Every registered birth strengthens child protection. Every registered child becomes more visible to the systems designed to serve and protect them.”
What’s Next
NPC is expected to expand digital registration centres towards its 8,000-centre target while extending coverage to the remaining wards.
The commission will also continue to integrate birth registration with routine immunisation and health services, while working with traditional rulers, community leaders, and local structures to capture births occurring outside health facilities.
The proposed community birth alert system, supported by UNICEF, is expected to strengthen real-time notification and documentation of births at the community level.
The integration of VitalReg with NIMC will also remain important in preventing duplicate identities and strengthening Nigeria’s population and identity databases.
Bottom Line
Nigeria’s transition to a fully digital civil registration system represents a significant shift in how births and deaths are recorded. The NPC’s target of 8,000 registration centres could significantly improve access, but the success of the programme will ultimately depend on reaching underserved communities and ensuring that every child—whether born in a hospital or at home—is formally registered and recognise
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