?The National Population Commission (NPC), in partnership with UNICEF and other key stakeholders, has taken its birth registration drive directly to healthcare facilities, including Wuse General Hospital in Abuja, to ensure every Nigerian child receives a legal identity at birth.
?Organized to mark the 2026 Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day, the campaign focuses on integrating civil registration services into Primary Healthcare Centres.
This initiative allows mothers and caregivers to register newborns and receive official birth certificates immediately after delivery, eliminating the need to travel long distances to distant registration centers.
?During a joint monitoring visit to health facilities, NPC Chairman Dr. Aminu Yusuf and UNICEF Nigeria representatives engaged parents on the broader impact of civil registration.
Beyond providing an official document, registration establishes a child's legal identity and proof of age, safeguarding their rights and facilitating future access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and social protection.
?Bringing registration services directly to health facilities forms part of a broader national strategy by the NPC to overcome geographic and information barriers to civil registration.
The Commission confirmed plans to scale the initiative to healthcare facilities nationwide, targeting Primary Healthcare Centres where a significant percentage of deliveries occur.
?To ensure coverage extends to rural and underserved communities, the NPC is also establishing ward-level registration points across all states.
This decentralized model aligns with the strategic vision of the 2026–2036 CRVS decade, which emphasizes integration, decentralization, and digitalization to build resilient registration systems across the African continent.
?This year's Africa CRVS Day is commemorated under the theme "New CRVS Decade (2026–2036): Consolidating the Gains of APAI-CRVS and Securing the Future of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Africa through Integration, Decentralization and Digitalization." By embedding registration into routine maternal and child health services, Nigeria takes a significant step toward guaranteeing that every child born within its borders is legally recognized and protected.
