The National Population Commission (NPC) has raised concerns over the low rate of birth registration in Nigeria, revealing that about 60 per cent of children in the country are not registered.

NPC Director Obodo Adaku said the development poses a serious threat to national planning, child protection, and the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which seeks legal identity for all by 2030.

Speaking at a training workshop for stakeholders in Oyo State, Adaku described birth registration as a fundamental right and a critical tool for governance.

“Any unregistered child does not exist. They are victims of child trafficking. An unregistered child has no future because the system cannot account for them,” Adaku stated.

She emphasised that birth registration is as important as healthcare, explaining that accurate data from birth enables the government to plan effectively for education, health, security, and other social services.

According to her, the training was organised to strengthen digital birth registration across the country. She noted that while digital registration is capital-intensive, the federal government has made registration free for children between the ages of 0 and 5.

“The National Population Commission will partner with necessary people and institutions to ensure that every child is visible and protected. We cannot achieve proper planning if a large chunk of our population remains invisible,” she said.

Adaku linked the poor registration culture to Nigeria’s inability to meet global targets, stressing that SDG 16.9, which focuses on providing legal identity for all, can be achieved if stakeholders take the process seriously.

She also cited the recent Orire incident in Oyo State, where the Ministry of Health said missing children could not be properly accounted for due to poor birth records.

According to her, “Until parents started calling about their missing children, authorities had no proper record to trace or identify them. That is the danger we face when children are not registered.”

Also speaking at the event, ALGON Chairman in Oyo State, Sikiru Sanda, urged parents to embrace the initiative and give their children a sense of belonging from birth.

“I charge all parents to take this initiative seriously. Registering your child is the first step to giving them identity, access to opportunities, and protection under the law,” Sanda said.

Other stakeholders at the training agreed that electronic birth registration will help Nigeria solve its long-standing planning and data problems and called for wider sensitisation to ensure no child is left out.

The NPC reiterated its commitment to work with traditional rulers, health facilities, local governments, and civil society to ensure that every Nigerian child is captured in the national database. (Nigerian Tribune)