Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, through her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) has partnered with National Population Commission (NPC) and United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF) to further ramp up birth registration in the country with the launch of UNICEF/ RHI Commemorative Birth Certificate for year 2024.
NPC Chairman, Hon Nasir Isa Kwarra, who disclosed this after leading development partners to Mrs Tinubu in Abuja on Monday, said the commemorative event, scheduled for August 29, 2024 will mark a major leap in government’s effort to offer Nigerian children their first foundational identity.
According to him: “It is a global thing and it took place in August 10, 2024, but we are having this as a special commemorative event with the First Lady championing this drive. We had a fruitful chat with her and I want to believe that we have a great event ahead of us that will mark the full force drive of birth registration to give Nigerian children their first foundational identity and recognition as our children that will grant access to government services, especially education and health.”
Also speaking, UNICEF Chief Child Protection Officer, Ibrahim Sesay who was part of the visit described the launch as important, to close the existing gaps in birth registration and promote data-driven development plan for children in the country.
He said: “What is critical is we have been falling short in terms of reaching that obligation. So, the Office of the First Lady through the Renewed Hope Initiative, is a platform that we are now using to make sure that every child’s birth in Nigeria starting on the 29th of August gets accelerated birth registration in all parts of the federation”.
On his part, Managing Director of Barnksforte Technologies Limited, the technical partner to the National Population Commission, Mr Adedayo Bankole, highlighted the digitization of the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (eCVRS) system.
He emphasized the critical importance of establishing a foundational identity and ensuring the security of data for every child.
Additionally, he noted the system’s interoperability with other identity agencies, such as the National Identity Management Commission and its seamless access to immunization records and other government social welfare services.
Adedayo also underscored the authenticity and reliability of the national document for verification purposes.
The official launch of the UNICEF/RHI Commemorative Birth Certificate to Birth Registration in Nigeria will hold on Thursday 29th August in Abuja.
Deji Elumoye
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