National Population Commission launches online birth and death registration platform

NPC Chairman, Dr. Aminu Yusuf, announced the full commencement of the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system and the VitalReg platform at a press briefing in Abuja. The platform became operational nationwide on July 1, 2026, covering all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Yusuf stated that this digital innovation aims to modernize registration services by providing faster and more efficient processes, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance, improved data validation, and a more secure national civil registration database.

The system is also expected to reduce paperwork, waiting times, and travel for citizens. While Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, birth registration coverage is currently around 57 percent, and death registration is below 20 percent. To address these gaps, the commission has established 4,011 functional registration centres and plans to expand to approximately 8,000.

The NPC has partnered with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, the National Identity Management Commission, UNICEF, and Barnksforte Technologies Limited to decentralize these services. Yusuf confirmed that birth registration and birth notification services will remain highly subsidized, though some specialized