NPC Launches Digital Birth and Death Registration Across Yobe State

The National Population Commission (NPC) has introduced a fully digital system for registering births and deaths in Yobe State as part of efforts to improve legal identity coverage and strengthen Nigeria’s population data.

The new Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system officially took effect on July 1, 2026, and is now operational across all 17 local government areas of the state through the VitalReg digital platform.

Speaking during a press briefing in Damaturu, the NPC Federal Commissioner in Yobe State, Hon. Tonga Betara Bularafa, described the initiative as a major step toward modernizing Nigeria’s civil registration process.

According to him, the transition to a digital platform will ensure that every birth and death is recorded accurately while providing a more reliable database for government planning and national development.

Bularafa explained that the reform follows the inauguration of the National Coordination Committee on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics as well as the launch of the E-CRVS system by President Bola Tinubu in November 2023.

He emphasized that accurate birth and death records are essential for generating dependable population statistics needed for policymaking, resource allocation and economic planning.

The commissioner noted that although Nigeria records an estimated five million births each year, millions of births and deaths still go unregistered.

He revealed that birth registration coverage currently stands at approximately 57 percent nationwide, while less than 20 percent of deaths are officially recorded.

To improve registration nationwide, the NPC has established 4,011 functional registration centres across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas and plans to expand the network to about 8,000 centres.

Bularafa said the VitalReg platform will offer faster registration services, round-the-clock online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, improved data verification, reduced paperwork and enhanced security for civil registration records.

He also disclosed that the commission has partnered with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF, and Barnksforte Technologies Limited to decentralize birth registration and make services more accessible at the community level.

According to him, the collaboration is expected to boost registration rates, improve data accuracy and encourage greater public participation across the country.

The commissioner further announced that the NPC has reviewed charges for specialized administrative services, including record corrections, certificate reissuance, attestations and verification requests, to support the sustainability of the new digital system.

However, he reassured the public that birth registration and birth notification services will remain heavily subsidized to encourage universal registration and ensure that every child has access to a legal identity.