Nigeria Intensifies Push for Reliable Population Database

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria is stepping up efforts to build a more reliable population database and strengthen its national identity system with the nationwide rollout of a digital birth and death registration platform, as the National Population Commission (NPC) seeks to address the country’s persistently low civil registration rates.

As part of the initiative, the commission has inaugurated 131 digital birth and death registration centres across Anambra State, marking the state’s transition to the electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (e-CRVS) system through the VitalReg platform.

Speaking in Awka, the state’s capital, over the weekend, during an event commemorating the 2026 World Population Day, the NPC Federal Commissioner representing Anambra State, Mr Chidi Ezeoke, said the digital platform would improve the country’s ability to capture vital demographic data needed for national planning, public service delivery and resource allocation.

According to him, estimates show that Nigeria records an average of five million births every year, but only about 57 per cent are officially registered. Death registration remains even lower, at below 20 per cent, leaving millions of births and deaths undocumented.

He noted that the absence of comprehensive civil registration has created significant gaps in demographic data, making it more difficult for governments to effectively plan for healthcare, education, infrastructure and other public services.

Mr Ezeoke said the VitalReg platform became operational nationwide on July 1, describing it as a landmark development in Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.

He explained that the digital platform would ensure every birth and death is captured electronically while providing faster registration services, round-the-clock online access, digital certificate issuance, improved data validation and enhanced security for the country’s civil registration database.

According to him, the system will also reduce paperwork and waiting time while serving as a foundational database that supports interoperability across Nigeria’s broader digital identity ecosystem.

The commissioner disclosed that the NPC has established 4,011 functional registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and plans to expand the network to about 8,000 centres nationwide.

In Anambra State, he said the 131 registration centres have been opened across the 21 local government headquarters and several communities, with additional centres already proposed.

Mr Ezeoke urged Nigerians to promptly register every birth and death, stressing that comprehensive civil registration is essential for producing accurate population statistics and supporting evidence-based policymaking.

He also highlighted the theme of the 2026 World Population Day, Realising the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People – Today and for the Future, calling for increased investment in education, healthcare, skills development and decent employment opportunities, alongside greater youth participation in governance.

On his part, the NPC State Director, Mr Obiakonwa Okagwu, appealed to the media to help raise public awareness about the importance of birth and death registration, urging residents to regard civil registration as a shared national responsibility.