The National Population Commission (NPC) has launched an online birth and death registration system under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) platform.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, NPC Chairman, Dr Aminu Yusuf, said the platform, which became operational on July 1, 2026, is now available in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. He said the initiative would modernise civil registration, provide accurate population data for national planning and improve access to legal identity.
According to him, Nigeria records about five million births annually, but many births and deaths still go unregistered.
“Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent. These gaps deprive many Nigerians of legal identity and limit reliable data for effective national planning,” he said.
Yusuf said the commission has established 4,011 registration centres across the 774 local government areas and plans to expand the number to about 8,000 to improve access.
He said the digital platform offers round-the-clock online access, faster registration, digital certificate issuance where applicable, reduced paperwork, automated data validation and improved database security. It is also designed to integrate with Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.
To improve grassroots access, Yusuf said the commission had 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.
He said the commission had also reviewed fees for specialised services such as record modification, certificate reissuance and verification requests to ensure the platform’s sustainability.
“Birth registration and birth notification services remain highly subsidised in line with our commitment to universal registration,” he said.
Yusuf called on state governments, local councils, health institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups and the media to support efforts to ensure that every birth and death in Nigeria is promptly registered.
Daily Trust
