ENUGU, NIGERIA — The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the full digital registration of births and deaths in Enugu State under its Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system, E-CRVS.
The NPC Federal Commissioner representing Enugu State, Hon. Ejike Ezeh, disclosed this on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, during a joint media briefing at the commission’s state headquarters in Enugu. The briefing marked the operational rollout of the VitalReg platform and featured activities connected with the 2026 World Population Day.
Ezeh said the digital registration system, which became operational across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on July 1, 2026, builds on the E-CRVS framework launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on November 8, 2023.
CLOSING THE REGISTRATION GAP
Ezeh said the digital transformation of civil registration was critical to addressing Nigeria’s long-standing data challenges, stressing that accurate records of births and deaths were essential for effective planning and development.
“This step is significant to strengthen civil registration, enhance the generation of vital statistics, and ensure that every birth and death occurring in Nigeria is captured through a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled registration system. Civil registration contributes to reliable national statistics that guide public policy, resource allocation, and development planning.”
According to him, Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, but a significant proportion of them are still not formally registered.
“Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 percent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 percent. These gaps deprive many Nigerians of legal identity and limit the availability of reliable data needed for effective national planning.”
DECENTRALISED NETWORK AND PARTNERSHIPS
To improve access to registration services, the NPC said it has activated 4,011 functional registration centres across the 774 local government areas in the country, with plans to expand the network to 8,000 centres.
The commission has also established a multi-agency partnership on the Decentralisation and Localisation of Birth Registration and Legal Identity, involving the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON; the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC; UNICEF; and its technical partner, Banksforte Technologies Limited.
The partnership with Banksforte Technologies is designed to provide round-the-clock online access, automated data validation, digital certificate issuance and secure data integration with Nigeria’s identity-management ecosystem.
FEES AND LGA MONITORING
On the review of administrative fees, Ezeh explained that the adjustments applied only to specialised services, including record modifications, attestations and certificate reissuances, which he said were necessary to sustain the technical infrastructure supporting the digital system.
“Let me assure Nigerians that this review is not intended to create barriers to access. Birth registration and birth notification services remain highly subsidised, in line with the commission’s commitment to achieving universal registration.”
The briefing also featured an operational review meeting during which registration officers and local government area controllers from all 17 local government areas of Enugu State submitted field reports to the State Director on the progress of the digital registration rollout across the state.
