United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the National Population Commission (NPC), has incorporated the National Identification Number (NIN) into digital birth registration (e-birth registration) in Nigeria.
It also says that the new e-birth registration will give a child an identity and the opportunity to be a Nigerian citizen.
UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Mr Denis Onoise, stated these in an interview in Lagos, on the sideline of a two-day media dialogue on e-birth registration in the South-West, held in Lagos.
The media dialogue was organised by UNICEF, in collaboration with the Lagos Ministry of Youth and Social Development and the National Population Commission (NPC).
The media dialogue had as its theme: “A Media dialogue to drive e-birth registration in Southwest.”
According to Onoise, the e-birth registration certificate will automatically generate and secure NIN for such a child.
He, therefore, urged parents to ensure that their children were registered digitally, as it would be useful either during school enrollment or visa or international passport applications.
Onoise added that the digital registration could be done immediately after the child’s birth, either by the mother or the father, before such a baby would be discharged from the hospital.
“The advantages attached to e-birth or digital registration cannot be over-emphasised.
“Most importantly is that the opportunity is used to generate NIN for the child, thus saving the parents or even the child of stress.
“Also, e-birth registration will give government credible database that will help in policy making, resources and facilities like health centres, school and other amenities’ distribution,” he said.
The director of NPC in Lagos, Mr Bamidele Sadiku, said that digital registration would promote efficient government planning and effective use of resources.
Sadiku said that a well-developed and functioning civil registration system entailed the registration of all vital events, including births and deaths.
He added that digital registration would go a long way in providing an identity that usually enabled access to a wide variety of basic rights and services as bona fide citizens.
According to him, digital registration has the potential to check double registration identity forgery and other birth data manipulations.
“The e-birth registration and certificate issuance system provides an easy way of registering and obtaining the birth certificate.
“Through this system, application status for birth certificate can be viewed and verified on online.
“E-birth registration will assist government officials in terms of speeding up childbirth registration process and is capable of keeping registration details for future use,” he said.
Sadiku said that plans were underway by the government to launch e-birth registration in five states, with the target of capturing 928,523 birth registrations of under-five children in Southern Nigeria before the end of the year.
NAN
