The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said that e-birth registration provides children in Nigeria with the right to a legal identity.

Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF Field Office for South-West, Nigeria, who stated this at a two-day media dialogue on Wednesday in Lagos, said without a birth certificate, the child remains invisible.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the media dialogue was organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development and National Population Commission (NPC).

The event has as its theme “A media dialogue to drive e-birth registration in south-west Nigeria.”

Lafoucriere said that a registered child has an acknowledged right for quality protection, health, education, and other crucial services.

“It is part of our mission that every child in Nigeria is given the right for a legal identity.

“Birth registration is very key. It is not just a simple procedural formality but a fundamental human rights and a cornerstone of a child legal identity.
“It is important because without it, those children remain invisible,” she said.

Lafoucriere also said that birth registration would assist government for adequate planning for children’s right and to generate valid statistics for planning.
She said that e-birth registration provided the parents the opportunity to register their children as soon as they are born.

“E-birth registration is an innovative approach. It stands truly as a game changer for a country like Nigeria with huge distance challenges.

“Besides the birth registration, it also present a huge support to create a very robust and reliable civil registration system.
“That only not record births but also to generate vital statistics that are necessary for effective planning and implementation of policies that is very crucial for planning.
“If government do not know how many to budget for, it cannot do it efficiently.

“Accurate and timely data from birth registration will also allow to monitor the progress we are collectively making the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), ranging from eliminating poverty, hunger, and promoting quality education and reduce inequality,” she said.

Lafoucriere, however, urged the media to assist in raising awareness in educating Nigerians on the importance of birth registration.

“As a member of the media, your role is crucial and cannot be overstated.

“Your platforms are crucial for raising awareness with us for educating the public and holding stakeholders accountable in taking care of those children, making sure they have a legal identity and the basic services.

“Let’s leverage on our collective power to makes lasting impact in the lives of millions of Nigerian children,” she said.

In his presentation, Mr Bamidele Sadiku, NPC Lagos Office Director, said that linking birth registration with the National Identification Number (NIN) would curb double registration.

Sadiku said that since NIN is unique to every individual, it would help the commission to erase double birth registration.

“By linking NIN with birth certificate, people will not have the courage for double registration.

“This will also provide us with adequate record, which will become authentic and provide for adequate planning,” he said. (NAN)