The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced a free birth registration exercise for children between the ages of zero and five in Delta State.
NPC Federal Commissioner, Blessyn Brume-Ataguba, said at a press briefing on Wednesday, that the birth registration exercise would enhance planning, governance and service delivery.
Brume-Ataguba said that the free birth registration was a collaborative effort between NPC, UNICEF and the office of Nigeria’s First Lady.
She said that the exercise was to ensure proper registration of births and to pave the way for improved governance, planning and service delivery.
The commissioner said that the role of the Civic Registration and Vital Statistics System in effective governance could not over emphasized.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that every birth, death, and significant life event is recorded accurately and promptly. They form the foundation upon which legal identity is established”, she said
“Parents and guardians are urged to cooperate with the commission’s personnel to carry out the exercise.
“We have trained 1,198 ad-hoc staff to carry out the exercise in the 25 local government areas of the state.
”Unless a person is registered, they do not exist in the eyes of the state. Registration allows you to establish and protect identities, citizenship, and property rights,” she said.
She urged development partners and other stakeholders to support the commission in the free birth registration exercise.
Speaking further, the State Director of National Orientation Agency, Tracy Ikolomi, said that the agency would carry out a robust campaign to sensitize the people to the importance of birth registration.
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