Kano state has taken a significant leap in digital birth registration, surpassing all other states in Nigeria by recording a staggering 933,589 childbirths through the newly introduced digital registration system.
The announcement was made by Alhaji Ismaila Al-Hassan Dogo, the Director of the National Population Commission (NPC) in Kano during a media dialogue on birth registration organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Kano.
UNICEF, in partnership with local authorities, launched an initiative aimed at registering approximately one million unregistered children in Kano, all aged between zero and five years, across the state’s 44 local government areas.
Dogo emphasized “The essence is that if we can get these children registered, they will be added to the database of Kano state population.
“The primary objective of this endeavor is to build a comprehensive database of Kano’s population by ensuring that all eligible children are registered. This initiative is not limited to Kano alone, as it is simultaneously being carried out in 21 other states across Nigeria.”
Al-Hassan Dogo emphasized the importance of birth registration, highlighting that it forms the basis for accurate population figures, aiding in national, regional, and local planning and development. He also stressed the significance of possessing a birth certificate as a symbol of citizenship and identity.
Despite the progress, UNICEF pointed out that birth registration in Nigeria is still below the optimal level, denying Nigerian children their fundamental rights as recognized by both the United Nations and the Nigerian government.
To meet Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, there is a critical need to address the barriers hindering universal birth registration in Nigeria and ensure that every child’s right to a birth certificate is upheld.
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