Reps advocate digital birth, death registry to aid planning

The House of Representatives has called for the establishment of a fully digital civil registration system for births, deaths, marriages, and other vital events in Nigeria, describing accurate population data as indispensable to effective national planning and governance.

Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, made the call in Abuja on Wednesday, while declaring open a public hearing on a Bill to Repeal and Re-enact the Births, Deaths, etc. (Compulsory Registration) Act.

According to him, the proposed legislation seeks to modernise Nigeria’s outdated civil registration system by introducing a secure electronic framework for collecting, managing, and sharing vital statistics.

Abbas noted that, “Accurate and timely registration of births, deaths, marriages, and other vital events is the foundation of sound governance.

“The existing Act was crafted for an era without digital tools. Today’s realities—rapid population growth, mobility, and data-driven policymaking—require a system that meets global standards.”

Abbas said a digital registration platform would eliminate duplication and fraud, improve access to vital records nationwide, and enhance identity management across public institutions.

He added that the reforms were consistent with international best practices and United Nations recommendations on civil registration and vital statistics.

The Chairman, House Committee on Population, Odimayo Okunjimi, described the current law as obsolete and incapable of supporting modern governance needs.

He stressed that without reliable civil registration and vital statistics, government planning, social service delivery, and population management remained severely constrained.

“This bill seeks to establish a unified, technology-driven framework for registering births, deaths, marriages, divorces, adoptions, and other vital events.

“It will clarify institutional roles and strengthen coordination between the National Population Commission, state registries, and local government councils,” Okunjimi said.

He noted that the reform of Nigeria’s vital registration system is “not a bureaucratic exercise but a national imperative,” adding that modernisation would enhance national security, strengthen identity management, and provide the data backbone for sustainable development.

Also speaking, the Federal Commissioner representing Adamawa State in the NPC, Clifford Zirra, commended the initiative, saying the amendment was long overdue.

This reform comes at a critical time as the commission integrates digital technology into its operations.

It will ensure interoperability between government platforms and close the gaps that have limited effective implementation for decades,” Zirra said.

He revealed that the NPC, with support from UNICEF and private consultants, had been actively involved in reviewing the legislation to ensure it aligned with global best practices and the commission’s mandate.

The legal consultant to the committee, Celestial Nwabueze, noted that the proposed law provided a clear legal framework for a comprehensive national civil registry.

Once enacted, she said, it would replace outdated laws, establish a unified national digital database, and strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for data-driven policy formulation and security planning.

Accurate and comprehensive civil registration, the recording of births, deaths, and other vital events, remains one of Nigeria’s weakest governance systems, with significant implications for national planning, service delivery, and security management.

Despite decades of effort, millions of Nigerians are born and die each year without official records, leaving gaps in population data and undermining the reliability of national statistics.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund and the National Population Commission, only about 57 per cent of births and less than 20 per cent of deaths are currently registered nationwide. In rural areas, the figures are much lower, particularly among poor and hard-to-reach communities.

Several factors account for this persistent gap, including an outdated legal and institutional framework, fragmented data systems, limited infrastructure and awareness, and weak enforcement of registration laws.

Without accurate records of births and deaths, Nigeria cannot reliably determine its population size, age distribution, fertility and mortality rates, or effectively plan for education, health, and social services.

The development also complicates national security efforts, as weak identity management systems enable identity fraud, terrorism, and crime.

In recent years, Nigeria has made attempts to modernise the process through partnerships between the NPC, UNICEF, and other development agencies. Pilot projects integrating digital registration platforms and mobile technology have shown promise, but nationwide implementation has been slow due to limited funding, coordination challenges, and legal bottlenecks.