UNICEF, Lagos target 545,000 newborns for universal birth registration this year

… Say 94% of children nether 5 already registered successful Lagos
By Chioma Obinna

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, connected Monday renewed its concern with the Lagos State Government to accelerate cosmopolitan commencement registration, describing it arsenic the archetypal enactment of extortion for each child.
The caller propulsion is targeting 545,000 newborns for cosmopolitan commencement registration this year.
Speaking astatine the Lagos State Multi-Sectoral Stakeholders’ Dialogue connected Birth Registration, Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, said each child’s close to individuality begins with being registered astatine birth, noting that without registration, millions of Nigerian children stay invisible to the state.
“Birth registration is the archetypal enactment of extortion for each child. Without it, children cannot entree healthcare, education, oregon societal services. Without it, they are invisible,” Lafoucriere said.
She commended Lagos for being a trailblazer successful the nationalist campaign, with 94 per cent of children nether 5 already registered, 1 of the highest sum rates successful Nigeria.
“Lagos State has made existent progress. With 94 percent of children nether 5 registered, you are astatine the forefront. But the enactment is acold from done. Hard-to-reach communities, informal settlements, and low-income families inactive look barriers. Our extremity is to permission nary kid behind,” she said.
Lafoucriere disclosed that successful September 2025, the National Population Commission, NPC, with UNICEF’s support, began distributing implicit 16 cardinal commencement certificates nationwide, retired of which Lagos received the highest allocation—more than six cardinal certificates.
“This shows some the standard of what Lagos has accomplished and the spot placed successful your systems,” she said.
The UNICEF tract main explained that the existent absorption is connected registering children nether 1 year, arsenic erstwhile nationalist drives had covered millions nether five.
“We person managed to registry implicit 12 cardinal children nether 5 successful the past 3 years. This year, we’re concentrating connected newborns due to the fact that we should person acold less unregistered under-fives now. The extremity is to marque commencement registration 2nd quality for each parent,” she explained.
She warned that unregistered children stay invisible successful nationalist statistics, which affects societal extortion and improvement planning.
“When you person a census oregon colonisation survey, unregistered children bash not exist. They are missing from budgets and societal extortion plans. Without ineligible identity, they can’t payment from authorities programmes,” she cautioned.
Lafoucriere added that deficiency of registration tin besides effect successful inheritance and ineligible challenges.
“When you are a successor oregon heir, but you don’t person ineligible identity, you simply don’t beryllium successful the eyes of the law. That tin unfastened the doorway to abuses,” she said.
On advancement made successful Lagos, she announced that each commencement registration and wellness installation trainings person been completed crossed the 20 Local Government Areas, and each registration supplies, including tablets, person been distributed.
“The instauration is successful place. I tin safely accidental that Lagos is ready,” she declared.
For 2025, UNICEF is supporting an ambitious program to registry 3.69 cardinal children nether property 1 crossed 15 precedence states, with Lagos targeting 545,000 newborns.
“The Ministry of Health indispensable integrate registration into immunisation and maternal wellness services. Education authorities indispensable necessitate commencement certificates for schoolhouse enrolment. Traditional and assemblage leaders indispensable champion registration arsenic a civic duty. The media indispensable amplify messages that resonate crossed our divers communities,” she said.
She besides revealed that accepted commencement attendants, TBAs, would beryllium trained to registry babies delivered extracurricular hospitals, particularly successful riverine and agrarian communities.
Also speaking, Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission, NPC, Lagos, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, called connected assemblage leaders, spiritual groups, and section councils to intensify mobilisation efforts for commencement registration.
“Without registration, determination is nary identity. And without identity, we can’t program for them,” she said.
Oladunjoye explained that close registration information helps authorities program for schools, healthcare facilities, and infrastructure.
“If you cognize the fig of children calved successful a spot similar Mushin, you tin program however galore schools oregon wellness centres to build. That is wherefore this is truthful important,” she added.
She comm...