Mrs Grace Isibor is a mother whose two-year-old daughter, Melody, was denied an international passport due to a critical omission-a birth certificate.
Due to a family emergency abroad, Isibor urgently needed to travel with Melody, but immigration rejected their application for a passport.
“I was devastated; I didn’t know that not having a birth certificate would hinder our travel plans. We were stuck, and time was running out,” Mrs. Isibor recounts.
The family’s distress was compounded by the realisation that Melody’s birth had never been registered. Isibor had assumed it wasn’t necessary, but now she is faced with the consequences of her ignorance.
There are many Nigerian children like Melody, who are still without birth certificates, leaving them vulnerable to marginalisation and exclusion.
The imperative of legal identity for Nigerian children cannot be overstated. It is a matter of rights, dignity, and access to opportunities.
The right to a legal identity is a fundamental human right and enshrined in various international legal frameworks.
They include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC); and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
Articles 7 and 8 of the UNCRC as well as 6 of the African Charter highlight the importance of birth registration, among which are to provide accurate data for planning.
It also helps governments to generate valid statistics for effective policy implementation.
Domesticating the provisions of these two international agreements, the Child Rights Act of 2003 under Article 5(2) mandates birth registration in Nigeria.
Notwithstanding these laws, a significant number of children in Nigeria lack a legal identity, making them invisible in the eyes of the law.
This lack of identity, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) denies them access to basic rights and services, including education, healthcare, and social protection.
UNICEF data shows that of the 164 million unregistered children worldwide, about 56 per cent, approximately 91 million, aged between 0 and 5, reside in Africa.
Interestingly, UNICEF has been at the forefront of advocating for digital birth registration in the country, a crucial step toward ensuring that every child can exercise his/her right to a legal identity.
The UN agency, in collaboration with the National Population Commission (NPC) and other stakeholders, is introducing e-birth registration, an innovative approach that leverages digital technology to make birth registration more accessible, efficient, and reliable.
The initiative, which began in some states in the northern part of the country in 2023, is now being rolled out in the South-West region and Edo State.
There are plans to expand it. This rollout is a significant step forward.
Recognising the crucial role of the media in driving policies, UNICEF in collaboration with the Lagos Ministry of Youth and Social Development and the NPC convened a two-day dialogue with journalists from the coverage areas.
The gathering was meant to discuss the importance of birth registration as well as the inherent benefits in the e-registration initiative.
Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF Field Office for South-West Nigeria, said birth registration was not merely a procedural formality, but a cornerstone of a child’s legal identity and a fundamental human right.
Without a birth certificate, Lafoucriere said, the child remains invisible.
According to her, a birth certificate is essential for accessing basic services such as education and healthcare, social protection against exploitation and abuse.
She further explains that birth registration, particularly in electronic form, was vital for national planning and development.
“If adequate statistics are not available, the government may not adequately plan for children. E-registration is important to generate statistics for effective planning.
“Accurate data from birth registrations enable governments to allocate resources effectively, plan for educational and healthcare facilities, and monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she said.
She asserts that e-birth registration could be a game changer for Nigeria, a country with huge distance challenges. By making the registration process more accessible, she states, the initiative can help bridge the gap between rural and urban areas.
The Chief of UNICEF Field Office for South-West Nigeria submits that while birth registration is important, e-registration prevents double entries, identity forgery, and provides an identity that enables access to basic rights and services.
“E-birth registration will also assist government officials in speeding up the childbirth registration process, and provide a credible database for government planning and resource allocation,” said Lafoucriere.
She urged the media professionals to use their platforms to raise awareness and educate the public, particularly parents, on the importance of the initiative and the processes involved.
“Your platforms are crucial for raising awareness with us for educating the public and holding stakeholders accountable”, he said.
UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Mr. Denis Onoise, said e-birth registration would help in the generation of National Identification Number (NIN) for a Nigerian child.
Onoise said the registration was useful for school enrolment, visa procurement, or international passport applications.
“Furthermore, the integration of birth registration with the National Identification Number (NIN) system enhances the accuracy and reliability of the data.
“It will also go a long way in providing adequate data in the country,” said the UNICEF child protection specialist.
He pointed out a disparity in birth registration rates between rural and urban areas.
Statistics, according to him, shows rural areas have a higher registration rate of 78.9 per cent compared to urban areas of 44.8 per cent.
This disparity, he asserts, underscores the need for targeted interventions to ensure that all children, regardless of their location, have access to birth registration.
Onaise advised that partnering with primary health centres and integrating the registration process with routine healthcare services could help achieve this goal.
On the protocols of e-birth registration, Mr Bamidele Sadiku, Director of NPC in Lagos, said the programme targeted registration of 928,523 under-five children in Southern Nigeria and Edo before the end of 2024.
Shielding more light, Sadiku says the e-birth registration is meant for children of between 0 and 17 years.
Accordingly, the director said, parents or caregivers will go with their children to the NPC designated centres, with supporting documents.
Where the mother’s or father’s NIN is available, he says the NPC would capture the demographic data of the child, after which it will transfer the data to the NIMC for NIN enrollment.
But, where the mother’s and father’s NIN is not available, he said, the mother or father would be enrolled.
“Thereafter, the demographic data of the child is captured. During the registration, the tracking ID is used in place of the father or mother NIN.
“At completion of the registration, the data of the child is sent to NIMC for NIN enrollment. Where the child is 16 or 17 years old, the NPC initiates full biometric data for the child,” said the NPC boss’’, he said.
Sadiku said that e-birth registration would assist government officials in speeding up the childbirth registration process, and is capable of keeping registration details for future use.
As Nigeria moves forward with e-birth registration, it is essential that all stakeholders work together to ensure its success.
E-birth registration is a pivotal step towards ensuring that every child in Nigeria has a legal identity, which is fundamental to accessing their rights and opportunities.
The initiative not only facilitates the registration process but also supports national planning and development through accurate and reliable data.
As Nigeria continues to expand the programme, stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare providers, and the media, should cooperate to overcome challenges and maximise the benefits of digital birth registration.
By doing so, Nigeria can ensure that no child is left behind, truly realising the vision of every child having a legal identity and the opportunities it brings.