The National Population Commission has commenced nationwide digital registration of births and deaths through the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
The initiative is being implemented on the VitalReg platform to improve legal identity management and strengthen Nigeria’s demographic data system.
The Federal Commissioner representing Kogi State in the NPC, Afolabi Yori, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing in Lokoja.
Yori said the digital registration system became operational across the country on July 1.
He described the rollout as a major step in the modernisation of Nigeria’s civil registration process.
According to him, the platform is designed to make birth and death registration faster, more reliable and aligned with international standards.
Yori said the technology-driven system would improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure that vital events are properly documented.
He added that every birth and death recorded through the platform would be securely stored to support national planning.
The commissioner said civil registration goes beyond routine documentation.
He explained that accurate records provide reliable statistics for public policy, resource allocation and development planning.
Yori noted that Nigeria records an estimated five million births every year.
However, he said millions of births and deaths still remain unregistered across the country.
According to him, birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent.
He said the NPC had established 4,011 functional registration centres across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
The commission is also working to expand the number of centres to about 8,000 nationwide.
Yori said the NPC was strengthening collaboration with stakeholders to improve the capacity of registration officers.
He added that the goal was to ensure prompt and accurate registration of vital events through the VitalReg platform.
The commissioner said the platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access and digital certificate issuance where applicable.
He added that it would reduce paperwork, waiting time and unnecessary travel for citizens seeking registration services.
Yori disclosed that the platform is being operated under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement with Barnks-forte Technologies Ltd.
He said the company is serving as the NPC’s technical partner to support system availability, cybersecurity and continuous technological improvement.
The commissioner called on parents, healthcare institutions, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support the initiative.
He urged them to encourage prompt registration of births and deaths in communities across the country.
Earlier, the NPC State Director in Kogi, Samuel Omonakpeme, described the launch as another milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
Omonakpeme said the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda.
He added that it also supports the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 16.9, which seeks to provide legal identity for all.
The state director commended the Federal Government, NPC leadership, UNICEF and other development partners for supporting the implementation of the project.
He also urged parents, guardians, health institutions, community leaders, religious bodies and the media to mobilise public support for timely registration.
During the event, ICT personnel of the commission, led by Ehimoni Kolawole, demonstrated the digital birth registration process on the VitalReg platform.
The demonstration showed that the process captures the biodata of both parents.
It also showed that at least one parent must have a valid National Identification Number before the registration of a newborn can be completed.
The NPC said the digital system is expected to improve access to registration services and help Nigeria build a stronger identity and population data framework.
