Children without birth certificate not fully recognised by govt – Tinubu

Wife of President Bola Tinubu, Senator Oluremi Tinubu on Thursday harped on the importance of birth registration, stressing that without birth certificate, children are not fully recognised by the government.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports First Lady Tinubu said this in Abuja at the official inauguration of her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) and UNICEF commemorative birth certificate to accelerate birth registration in the country.

She said the programme was aimed at providing a strategic action plan, mobilise leadership and political commitment with a view to accelerating birth registration as part of civil registration and vital statistics systems in the country.

“Our children, the treasure of the nation, should be guaranteed their rights and their privileges from the onset. A well functioning civil registration and vital statistics safeguard these rights and ensure no violation goes unnoticed.

“Birth registration is vital. It is the child’s legal proof of identity, without which children would not be fully recognised by the government. They will miss out on government provision on healthcare, education and other social amenities.

“Without a birth certificate, children would not be unable to prove their age, and this puts them at a great disadvantage,” Tinubu said.

The First Lady, therefore, urged parents to register the birth of their children with the National Population Commission (NPC).

“It is important to note that a robust and efficient civil registration system is pivotal to our development and governance.

“This ensures that every live birth is recorded, and forms the basis for policy, planning, and service delivery that meets the needs of all Nigerians. This is more than an administrative task, it provides the foundation for our social security.

“I, therefore, encourage all parents to register the birth of their children and obtain authentic birth certificates recognised by the government.

“I hope that this action embarked upon today will get us on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 16. 9. 2 – “a legal identity for all, including birth registration,” she said.

The first lady further said that the number of most children from age zero to five was not captured in birth registration with the NPC.

“Based on the recent data from the Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) report (2021), about 24,977 live births occur daily in Nigeria, while 0.3 per cent of these have their births registered; only 36 per cent of these children receive birth certificates.

“I salute the commitments made by President Bola Tinubu when he inaugurated the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (e-CRVS), alongside the National Geo-spatial Data Repository; and the inauguration of the NPC on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in November 2023.

“However, there is an urgent need for a strategic shift in the registration of the significant life events such as birth registration for every Nigerian child to have a name and nationality recognised under the law.’’

The UNICEF Country Representative Ms Cristian Munduate said that the digital transformation led by the introduction of the eCRVS system was a true game-changer that had allowed the organisation to register births accurately.

“Together, we can ensure that every child is accounted for and given the identity they deserve, therefore, let us move forward with optimism and renewed partnership.

“Let us create a sustainable and inclusive birth registration system that serves every child in Nigeria, the work we do today will shape the future of this great nation, ensuring that every child is recognised, protected and given the opportunity to thrive.’

The Director General, NPC said that child birth registration was legal as it would ensure that all Nigerians, especially  children had access to the basic programmes that the government had for them.

“The registration of birth of a child gives a digital identity and opportunity to access the rights and services they deserve.