UNICEF: birth registration is a child's fundamental right for accessing essential services

Celine Lafoucriere, UNICEF Chief of Lagos Field Office, stated this at a two-day media dialogue in Lagos, organized in collaboration with the National Population Commission NPC, Lagos. The workshop, themed "Giving Every Child a Legal Identity by Driving Birth Registration in Nigeria," aimed to enhance media coverage of birth registration. Lafoucriere highlighted that civil registration provides the legal identity necessary for a child to be recognized by the state, enabling access to health services and, in adulthood, the ability to vote, own property, and inherit wealth.

She noted that delayed birth registration is common due to weak systems that allow unregistered children to access some public services. Birth registration is also vital for national planning and social protection, as unregistered children are often excluded from government budgets, impacting funding for health, education, and welfare programs. Lafoucriere urged journalists to inform parents about the benefits of registration and where to access services, such as Primary Healthcare Centres and community registration points.

Lagos State Director of NPC, Mr. Sherifdeen Kekere-Ekun, echoed the importance of media in raising awareness and correcting misconceptions, stressing that journalists can use variou