The National Population Commission (NPC) has started a new digital system to register births and deaths across Nigeria. The goal is to fix the country’s identity problem by recording every birth and death using modern technology. The Guardian reports that the system became active on 1 July 2026 in all 36 states and the FCT.
NPC Chairman Hon. Aminu Ibrahim Yusuf made the announcement in Abuja on Wednesday. He said Nigeria sees about five million births each year, but many are never officially recorded. At present, only 57 percent of births are registered nationwide, and death registration is under 20 percent. Without proper records, many Nigerians lack legal identity, and the government misses key data for planning.
“This is a major step toward a modern civil registration system that meets global standards and backs President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” Yusuf said. The new Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (ECRVS) system uses the VitalReg platform. It ends the old paper-based method that has been in use since 1988.
To run the program, the NPC has opened 4,011 registration centres in all 774 local government areas. Plans are underway to increase this to around 8,000 centres. The commission is partnering with ALGON, NIMC, UNICEF and Barnfort Technologies Limited to bring services closer to people at the grassroots.
The digital system offers several advantages: round-the-clock online access, quicker service, digital certificates where needed, automatic data checks, less paperwork, shorter queues, and a safer national database. It will also link with other government bodies as part of Nigeria’s digital identity plan.
Dr. Eyitayo Oyetunji, Federal Commissioner for Oyo State, called it a turning point. “Since 1988, we’ve used paper forms for civil registration. From July 1, 2026, that stops,” he said. “Now Nigerians abroad can also register themselves online from anywhere.”
The NPC confirmed that registering births for children aged zero to five and registering deaths remain free. Fees for other services like changing records or reprinting certificates have gone up. But Yusuf promised that birth registration and notification will still be heavily subsidized.
“We are not creating barriers,” he said. “Birth registration and notification remain highly subsidized because we want every Nigerian registered.”
The project follows the E-CRVS launch and the setup of the National Coordination Committee on CRVS by President Tinubu on 8 November 2023. Leaders say accurate civil records will improve legal identity, boost data quality, and help government plan budgets and development better.