Nigeria launches digital birth and death registration system

Abuja — The National Population Commission (NPC) has launched a new online birth and death registration platform under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system, marking a significant step toward modernising Nigeria's civil registration process and improving access to legal identity.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the Chairman of the NPC, Dr. Aminu Yusuf, announced that the platform officially became operational on July 1, 2026, and is now accessible across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Yusuf said the initiative is designed to strengthen birth and death registration nationwide, enhance access to legal identity for citizens, and provide accurate population data to support effective national planning and policymaking.

He noted that while Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, a substantial number of births and deaths remain unregistered, creating significant gaps in the country's civil registration system.

According to him, birth registration coverage currently stands at approximately 57 per cent, while death registration remains below 20 per cent nationwide.

"These gaps deprive many Nigerians of legal identity and limit reliable data for effective national planning," Yusuf said.

To improve access to registration services, the NPC has established 4,011 registration centres across Nigeria's 774 local government areas, with plans to expand the network to about 8,000 centres nationwide.

Nigeria launches birth and death registration system

The NPC chairman explained that the E-CRVS platform offers round-the-clock online access, faster processing of registrations, digital certificate issuance where applicable, reduced paperwork, automated data validation, and enhanced database security. He added that the system is also designed to integrate seamlessly with Nigeria's digital identity ecosystem.

As part of efforts to extend registration services to communities at the grassroots, the commission has partnered with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF, and Bankforte Technologies Limited to decentralise birth registration services across the country.

Yusuf also announced that the commission has reviewed service charges for specialised requests, including record modifications, certificate reissuance, and verification services, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the digital platform.

He, however, assured Nigerians that birth registration and birth notification services would remain highly subsidised in line with the commission's commitment to achieving universal civil registration.

The NPC chairman called on state governments, local government councils, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, and the media to support the commission's efforts by encouraging the prompt registration of every birth and death in Nigeria.

He said broader stakeholder collaboration would be essential to achieving comprehensive civil registration coverage and strengthening the country's demographic database for sustainable development.