The National Population Commission has commenced nationwide digital registration of births and deaths through its Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system, ending decades of reliance on manual, paper-based documentation.
NPC Chairman, Dr Aminu Yusuf, announced the full rollout of the VitalReg platform on Wednesday in Abuja, saying the system had been operational across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory since July 1, 2026.
Yusuf described the initiative as one of the most significant reforms in the history of civil registration in Nigeria and a major step towards resolving the country’s persistent legal identity and demographic data gaps.
According to him, Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, but millions of births and deaths are not officially documented.
He disclosed that birth registration coverage stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent.
“These gaps deprive many Nigerians of legal identity and limit the availability of reliable data needed for effective national planning,” Yusuf said.
The NPC chairman said the commission currently operates 4,011 functional registration centres across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
He added that plans were underway to increase the number to approximately 8,000 centres to make registration services more accessible, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Yusuf said civil registration went beyond the issuance of certificates, stressing that accurate birth and death records provide reliable national statistics for public policy, budgeting, resource allocation and development planning.
He described the transition as part of efforts to build a modern, efficient and technology-driven civil registration system that meets international standards and supports the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda.
Under the new system, the VitalReg platform will provide 24-hour online access to birth and death registration services.
The commission said the platform would also provide faster processing, digital certificate issuance where applicable, automated data validation, reduced paperwork, shorter waiting times and a more secure national civil registration database.
Yusuf added that the platform was designed to integrate with other government institutions within Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem, including the National Identity Management Commission.
“This digital innovation is one of the most transformative reforms in the history of civil registration in Nigeria,” he said.
“It reflects the commission’s unwavering commitment to leveraging technology to improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity, and guarantee that every birth and every death occurring in Nigeria is documented accurately and securely.”
The digital transition is expected to strengthen legal identity management, improve the accuracy of Nigeria’s demographic records and provide the government with reliable statistics for policy formulation and national development.
NPC Federal Commissioner representing Oyo State, Dr Eyitayo Oyetunji, described the development as a historic milestone for the commission.
Oyetunji said that, for the first time since the NPC commenced civil registration in 1988, births and deaths would no longer be registered primarily through manual paper forms.
“From July 1, 2026, civil registration is no longer being done manually using paper forms,” he said.
“The new system also allows Nigerians living abroad to access self-service registration from anywhere in the world.”
