FG Rolls Out Nationwide Digital Birth Registration, Retains Free Birth Certificates for Children Under Five

By Staff Reporter

In a major step toward strengthening Nigeria’s identity management system, the Federal Government has officially launched a nationwide digital platform for the registration of births and deaths, while reaffirming that birth certificates for children aged 0–5 years remain free of charge.

The initiative, unveiled under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system, is expected to revolutionize the way vital events are recorded, improve national planning, and ensure millions of Nigerians have access to legal identity from birth.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr. Aminu Yusuf, described the launch as a landmark achievement in the country’s digital transformation agenda.

According to him, the newly developed VitalReg platform became fully operational across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on July 1, 2026, marking the beginning of a new era in civil registration.

“The VitalReg platform represents a major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to modernize civil registration and improve the quality of our vital statistics,” Dr. Yusuf said.

He explained that the technology-driven system is designed to securely capture every birth and death occurring across the country, ensuring faster, more efficient, and transparent registration services.

Dr. Yusuf disclosed that although Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, only about 57 percent are officially registered. He added that death registration remains critically low at less than 20 percent, creating significant gaps in national data and depriving many citizens of legal identity and access to essential public services.

“Accurate civil registration is fundamental to national development. Without reliable birth and death records, planning for education, healthcare, social protection, and economic development becomes extremely difficult,” he noted.

To bridge the registration gap, the National Population Commission has established more than 4,000 registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas, with plans to expand the network to approximately 8,000 centres to improve accessibility, particularly in underserved communities.

The NPC Chairman highlighted several benefits of the new VitalReg platform, including faster registration processes, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, reduced paperwork, improved data accuracy, and enhanced protection of personal information through a secure national database.

He further revealed that the platform has been integrated into Nigeria’s broader digital identity ecosystem in line with the Federal Government’s vision of digitizing public services.

To deepen grassroots access, the Commission announced a strategic partnership involving the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF, and Barnksforte Technologies Limited. The collaboration is aimed at decentralizing birth registration services, expanding coverage nationwide, and ensuring that every Nigerian child is captured in the country’s civil registration system.

The Federal Government urged parents and guardians to register every child at birth, emphasizing that birth registration is the first step toward securing a child’s legal identity and access to healthcare, education, social welfare programmes, and other government services.

“Every child deserves a legal identity from birth. The new digital registration system will make that process faster, easier, more secure, and accessible to all Nigerians,” Dr. Yusuf said.

The nationwide rollout of the VitalReg platform is expected to significantly improve the accuracy of Nigeria’s demographic data while supporting evidence-based policymaking and inclusive national development.