NPC Decries Low Birth, Death Registration, Unveils 131 Digital Registration Centres In Anambra
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Charles Onyekamuo
The National Population Commission (NPC) has expressed concern that although Nigeria records about five million births annually, millions of births and deaths remain unregistered across the country.
Mr Chidi Ezeoke, Federal Commissioner representing Anambra in the NPC disclosed this at a press conference in Awka, Friday.
The event was to announce the commencement of full digital birth and death registrations under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system and the marking of World Population Day commemorated every July 11.
Ezeoke said birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below at just 20 per cent.
According to him, the registration gap deprives millions of Nigerians of legal identity and limits the availability of reliable demographic data required for effective national planning and resource allocation.
He announced that the commission had commenced full digital registration of births and deaths through the VitalReg platform, which became operational nationwide on July 1, 2026.
“The initiative is a major milestone in Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system, to ensure that every birth and death in the country is captured through a digitally enabled registration platform.
“It builds on the launch of the E-CRVS system and the inauguration of the National Coordination Committee on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics by President Bola Tinubu on Nov. 8, 2023.
“A total of 4,011 functional registration centres has been established across the 774 LGAs of the federation and the commission iswas working to expand the number to about 8,000.
“In Anambra, 131 registration centres has been opened in the 21 local government headquarters and several communities. More centres had been proposed for the state,” he said.
The commissioner said the VitalReg platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, reduced paperwork and waiting time, improved data validation and a more secure national CRVS database.
He added that the platform would serve as a foundational database to support other national data systems and strengthen interoperability across Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.
Ezeoke urged Nigerians and other stakeholders to support the initiative by ensuring prompt registration of all births and deaths.
The commissioner also used the occasion to commemorate the 2026 World Population Day with the theme, “Realizing the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People – Today and for the Future”.
He stressed the need for greater investment in education, healthcare, skills development, decent employment opportunities and youth participation in governance for sustainable national development.
Ezeoke commended the Gov. Chukwuma Soludo’s administration and the media for supporting the commission’s activities.
Earlier in his address, the NPC State Director, Mr Obi Okagwu, urged the media to take the message on civil registration to every part of Anambra State, while calling on residents to regard the registration of births and deaths as a national responsibility.
