UNICEF Advocates For NIN Enrollment For Newborns To Improve Civil Registration

UNICEF Advocates For NIN Enrollment For Newborns To Improve Civil Registration

UNICEF is advocating for the issuance of a unique number, specifically the National Identity Number (NIN), at birth for every child in Nigeria, especially in certain key locations……..CONTINUE READING

Ms. Cristian Munduate, the Country Representative for UNICEF in Nigeria, made this appeal on Monday in Abuja during the 2024 Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Day celebration.

Since its inception in 2018, CRVS Day has been celebrated annually on August 10. The theme for the 2024 celebration is “Strengthening the Linkage of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics to Legal Identity Systems through Digitalisation for Enhanced Inclusion.”

Munduate emphasized that the issuance of NINs at birth should be prioritized for children in rural, urban, semi-rural, semi-urban areas, as well as rural slums and hard-to-reach locations, to secure their identity within the civil registration process.

She stated, “Every year, no fewer than eight million babies are born in Nigeria, and it is essential that they have access to birth registration. In every maternity ward across the country, whether at the first or second level of healthcare, all children should be registered without exception.”

Munduate further highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts with the health system, stressing that the commitment to this initiative should extend beyond the government to include active support from state governments, which must be reflected in tangible actions.

She also noted that linking civil registration and vital statistics with legal identity systems is crucial for ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of records for vital events such as births, deaths, and marriages.

Ms. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), also spoke on the matter, emphasizing NIMC’s pivotal role in the digitalization of Nigeria’s identity sector. She was represented by Mr. Lanre Yusuf, the Director of Information Technology.

Coker-Odusote highlighted that NIMC has significantly transformed the civil registration process by enabling access to digital identity tokens and expanding the scope of NIN enrollment to promote inclusivity.

“As of today, NIMC has issued more than 108 million unique NINs, with approximately 20 percent of these being children’s enrollments. The commission is making concerted efforts to enroll all children under the age of 16 as part of its commitment to inclusivity,” she said.

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