The National Population Commission (NPC) Tuesday commenced the full digital registration of births and deaths across Nigeria through its Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system, known as the VitalReg platform in Lokoja, Kogi state.
The Federal Commissioner NPC representing Kogi state, Hon. Yori Afolabi disclosed the initiative, which took effect on July 1, 2026 at a press briefing in Lokoja, the state capital.
He described the transition as a landmark reform aimed at modernising Nigeria’s civil registration system.
Afolabi said the nationwide rollout builds on the E-CRVS initiative launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in November 2023 alongside the inauguration of the National Coordination Committee on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics.
He added that the digital platform is now operational across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, saying that while Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, many remain unregistered.
“Birth registration currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration is below 20 per cent, creating gaps in legal identity documentation and national planning data.
“To improve coverage, the commission has established 4,011 registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and plans to expand the number to about 8,000” the commissioner stated.
Afolabi further said the VitalReg platform offers faster and more efficient registration services, including round-the-clock online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, automated data validation, reduced paperwork and waiting time, as well as a secure database capable of integrating with other government digital identity systems.
He reiterated that the NPC has also entered into a partnership with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF and Barnksforte Technologies Limited to decentralise birth registration and strengthen access to legal identity at the grassroots.
The commissioner said Barnksforte Technologies serves as the commission’s technical partner under a public-private partnership arrangement, handling system maintenance, cybersecurity and upgrades.