Civil registration centers across Nigeria undergoing digitization -NPC boss

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The Chairman of the National Populations Commission (NPC), Nasir Kwarra has
said that all the civil registration centers in the 774 LGA headquarters in the country
are undergoing the digitization and automation process in line with the vision of African Union leaders.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja, during a press conference to celebrate 2021 CR&VS themed:” Leadership for an essential services: Building resilient Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System in Africa that provides innovative, integrated and decentralized services for the post covid -19 period”, Kwarra said recently, the Commission, in collaboration with critical stakeholders held an important meeting in Abuja to design a Roadmap for full automation of the vital registration system in Nigeria by the year 2025.
“To this end, the Commission wishes to call on all our development partners, particularly UNICEF and the World Bank, not to relent in their collaborative effort with the Commission in the provision of technical and material support towards achieving the desired goal in
civil registration and vital statistics system in Nigeria. We thank the health and education sectors in the country whose personnel and facilities have been placed at our disposal in this national task to ensure that every child born in the country is registered and given a legal identity.”
He said the theme speaks to the imperative of a strong institutional and effective leadership and
strategies to strengthen and transform the civil registration and vital statistics systems in the continent. “This year’s celebration is aimed at demonstrating the essential role civil registration and vital statistics system plays in facilitating the recognition of the legal identity for all person as well as providing key data for planning, policy formulation, decision making and good governance.
“In doing so, conscious effort should be made to ensure that the Civil Registration and Vital Registration System enjoys a broad-based support that leverages the development in information technology, inter-operable and easily accessible to the generality of the people.”
Speaking earlier, Ibrahim Sesay Chief, Child Protection, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Abuja, said
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics are multisectoral and multidisciplinary in nature and can be strengthened only through a holistic and integrated approach and strong political commitment.
“As a continuous and complete record of births, deaths and the marital status of citizens, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics are essential for modern administrative systems, creating
an inclusive society, protecting human rights, ensuring proper delivery of public services and tackling inequalities among other related issues. A reliable and well-functioning civil registration system are instrumental for monitoring the progress of several targets on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
“Almost all the SDG goals could be calculated using data from a functional civil registration and vital statistics system and the vital statistics gained from a civil registration system can provide up-to-date and accurate population data that is disaggregated by sex, age and geographic location.”