UNICEF Applauds Nigeria’s Surge in Birth Registration

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commended Nigeria for recording a significant rise in birth registration, revealing that 14 million children have been officially registered within the past two years.

UNICEF’s Country Representative in Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, disclosed the figure during a courtesy visit to Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, at the State House in Abuja. She described the progress as exceptional, noting that such rapid improvement in birth registration is rarely seen globally within a short timeframe.

“Birth registration is the first right of every child — the right to be counted and recognised,” Abdelatef said. “In my years of service across different countries, I have not witnessed progress of this scale achieved in just two years.”

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She attributed the achievement to Nigeria’s political leadership and ongoing reforms, highlighting efforts to digitalise registration systems at health facilities. Abdelatef also referenced a pending legislative proposal before the National Assembly aimed at strengthening the legal framework for civil registration.

The UNICEF official praised the First Lady’s leadership and advocacy for child welfare, noting her visible involvement in initiatives supporting families and vulnerable populations. She added that Tinubu’s contributions have drawn commendation beyond Nigeria, including recognition among African Union stakeholders.

Responding, the First Lady welcomed UNICEF’s remarks and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring every Nigerian child is registered at birth. She emphasised that birth registration is fundamental to establishing nationality and legal identity, which in turn enable children’s access to healthcare, education, and social protection.

“Every child counts,” Tinubu stated. “Birth registration must continue until every Nigerian child is accounted for. This is how nations develop.”

While acknowledging the progress made, she cautioned that more work remains. Tinubu stressed the need not only to register births but also to ensure the issuance of birth certificates, which serve as permanent legal documentation.

She further observed that Nigeria’s demographic planning faces challenges due to the absence of a recent census. According to her, strengthening birth registration could provide reliable data to guide national development policies, especially those targeting children.

“If we start by counting the children, we can better plan for their needs and provide essential services effectively,” she said.

Tinubu also expressed concern over persistently high rates of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and child and maternal mortality, describing the trends as worrisome. However, she assured that the administration remains proactive in addressing public health and social development issues.

The First Lady concluded by appreciating UNICEF’s longstanding partnership with Nigeria and pledged continued collaboration. She noted that the organisation’s data-driven support has remained invaluable for policy formulation and programme implementation.

The announcement underscores growing efforts by Nigerian authorities and development partners to strengthen civil registration systems as part of broader social protection and governance reforms.