By Ibukun Emiola
The National Population Commission (NPC) says it has commenced the integration of birth registration with the National Identity Number (NIN) system in Oyo State, enabling children to receive NINs automatically upon registration.
The Oyo State Director of the commission, Mrs Olubisi Adegbite, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Monday.
She said the initiative was part of ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem and eliminating multiple registration processes for children.
According to her, although the integration has commenced, occasional internet connectivity challenges still affect seamless implementation.
“It has started. When we register children now, they are automatically assigned NINs.
“We are still experiencing some connectivity glitches, but the system is already operational,” she said.
Adegbite explained that the commission under the supervision of Dr Eyitayo Oyetunji, Federal Commissioner, Oyo State had fully digitised birth registration through its Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) platform, replacing the former paper-based system.
She said every digitally generated birth certificate now carries a unique identification number, making records easier to retrieve and verify electronically.
The director added that birth and death registration services had also been digitised as part of the commission’s efforts to modernise civil registration nationwide.
She, however, noted that birth certificates issued under the previous paper-based system remain valid and do not require replacement.
According to her, the digitisation initiative is expected to improve access to reliable population data for national planning and enhance collaboration among government agencies.
Adegbite said the commission was also decentralising registration by partnering with local governments who had commenced recruitment of registrars in wards across Oyo State to bring registration services closer to residents.
“The registrars who are being recruited at the local governments level would work with NOC registrars that are on ground to facilitate an increase in birth registration at the grassroots,” she said.
According to her, Oyo State currently has about 53 per cent birth registration coverage, with registration centres established in all the 33 local government areas.
Adegbite said ignorance and low awareness remained the biggest obstacles to achieving universal birth registration.
She explained that many parents, particularly in rural communities, were still unaware that birth registration for children between ages zero and 17 was free, often delaying registration until adulthood when an attestation of birth becomes necessary.
She also identified difficult terrain, poor internet connectivity, insecurity and cultural beliefs surrounding child naming as factors slowing registration in some communities.
“We still have hard-to-reach communities where our registrars travel several hours before reaching residents.
“We also face technological challenges due to poor internet connectivity, while insecurity in some areas limits the movement of registration officials,” she said.
She urged parents to register children immediately after birth to enable them to benefit from the integrated identity system and other government services.
