By Sarah Ezeh
The National Population Commission, NPC, has commenced nationwide implementation of a fully digital birth and death registration system.
The move is aimed at improving civil registration, expanding legal identity coverage and strengthening Nigeria’s demographic and national identity database.
The commission said the digital registration platform, known as VitalReg, became operational across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on July 1, 2026, under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) initiative.
Speaking at a press briefing in Awka, the Federal Commissioner representing Anambra State in the NPC, Nze Chidi Ezeoke, described the initiative as one of the most significant reforms in Nigeria’s civil registration system.
He said the platform would ensure that every birth and death in the country is captured through a secure, efficient and technology-driven registration process.
“This digital innovation is one of the most transformative reforms in the history of civil registration in Nigeria.
“It reflects the Commission’s commitment to leveraging technology to improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure every birth and death occurring in Nigeria is documented accurately and securely,” Ezeoke said.
He noted that the nationwide rollout builds on the inauguration of the E-CRVS system and the National Coordination Committee on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics by President Bola Tinubu on November 8, 2023.
According to Ezeoke, the VitalReg platform offers 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 civil registration database.
He added that the platform would support interoperability across Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem and serve as a foundational database for other national data systems.
The commissioner said the reform seeks to address persistent gaps in civil registration, noting that although Nigeria records about five million births annually, only about 57 per cent are officially registered, while death registration remains below 20 per cent.
He said the low registration rates deprive millions of Nigerians of legal identity and limit the availability of reliable demographic data needed for evidence-based policymaking, resource allocation and national development planning.
To improve access to registration services, Ezeoke said the commission currently operates 4,011 functional registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and plans to increase the number to about 8,000 nationwide.
He disclosed that Anambra State has 131 registration centres spread across its 21 local government areas and several communities, with additional centres planned.
The NPC has also strengthened collaboration with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF and Barnksforte Technologies Ltd. to decentralise registration services, improve accessibility and enhance data accuracy.
Ezeoke explained that the platform is being operated under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement with Barnksforte Technologies Ltd. to ensure system reliability, cybersecurity and continuous technological upgrades.
He also announced a review of fees for specialised administrative services, including record modifications, certificate reissuance, attestations and verification requests, to support the sustainability of the digital infrastructure.
He assured Nigerians that birth registration and birth notification services remain highly subsidised, stressing that the revised fees would not create barriers to universal access.
The commissioner urged parents, healthcare providers, government agencies, traditional and religious institutions, development partners, civil society organisations and the media to support the initiative by ensuring the prompt registration of every birth and death across the country.
The briefing also marked the commemoration of the 2026 World Population Day, themed “Realizing the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People – Today and for the Future.”
Ezeoke described Nigeria’s youthful population as one of its greatest development assets and called for increased investment in education, healthcare, skills development, employment opportunities, gender equality and youth participation in governance.
Earlier, the NPC State Director in Anambra State, Obiakonwa Okagwu, said the transition from the paper-based registration system to the digital VitalReg platform would significantly improve the efficiency, accessibility and security of civil registration services nationwide.
He said the digital transformation would strengthen Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system and provide reliable population data to support sustainable national development.
Officials present at the briefing included the Head of the Vital Statistics Department, Mrs Ebele Okafor; Head of Technical Department, Felix Aremu; Human Resource and Administration Officer, Bright Adimba; Head of Finance and Accounts, Tina Ibada; and the Commission’s Media and Public Relations Officer, Nweke Rose.
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