The National Population Commission (NPC) has stated that all birth certificates issued by local governments and hospitals are not acceptable for official purposes in the country.
The Commission noted that only birth certificates issued by NPC is acceptable as it is the only agency legally authorised to issue such documents in the country.
Edward Ogbu, Ebonyi State Director of NPC made this disclosure this during a review meeting and retraining of Ebonyi State health facility workers on birth registration service delivery.
The meeting, which was held with support and collaboration of the United Nations Children Fund, (UNICEF) took place at Citi Hub Events Centre in Abakaliki, capital of the state with health workers from all the local governments and health facilities in the state in attendance.
The State Director solicited the help of government and health workers in the mobilisation of parents to register their children.
Making his remarks in a keynote address, the UNICEF Chief of Field office Enugu, Ibrahim Conteh lamented that recent records show that child registration in the country is still very low.
While quoting the National Demographic Health Survey 2018, Conteh averred that 57 percent of children in Nigeria do not have their births registered.
Represented by a Child Protection Specialist with UNICEF, Enugu, Victor Atuchukwu, the UNICEF Chief said that of the 43 percent registered births only 62 percent are registered with NPC.
He said “26 percent are registered with private clinic/hospitals, nine percent are registered with Local Government Administration while three percent are registered with other authorities”.
The UNICEF Chief noted that non-registration of new born child has a lot of disadvantages to the child, the community and the country in general.
In his words, Conteh stated that non-registration of children’s births puts their access to basic service under threat.
He added that “Their official ‘invisibility’ increases their vulnerability to abuse and exploitation and violations of their rights go unnoticed. In legal terms they do not exist”.
