The National Population Commission has discontinued manual registration of births and deaths across Nigeria, warning that certificates issued outside its new digital platform will no longer be recognized.
According to information from Vanguard Newspaper, the Commission said its Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, E-CRVS, platform, which went live on July 1, 2026, is now the sole approved channel for recording births and deaths in the country.
Speaking in Umuahia on Monday during events to mark the 2026 World Population Day, the Federal Commissioner representing Abia State, Rev. Emma Trumps Eke, said the shift to a fully digital system was aimed at ending fraud and providing government with real-time data for planning.
“Anybody giving you manual registration is leading you into trouble. We have stopped everything about manual registration. From now on, every registration must be digital and captured in real time,” he warned. He added that any NPC official found issuing manual certificates would face disciplinary action, including suspension or dismissal.
Eke explained that the new database will be integrated with agencies such as NIMC, the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Federal Road Safety Corps. This, he said, will make birth records instantly verifiable for passports, driver’s licences, bank accounts and other official transactions.
Citizens can now register births online through a self-service portal, with applications authenticated within 72 hours. For those without internet access, registration centres will remain available at local government offices and health facilities nationwide.
The Abia State Director of NPC, Mrs. Joyce Ogwuruike, described the transition as the biggest change in more than three decades, moving from paper records to electronic documentation. She urged parents to register children before the age of five, noting that delays could affect access to immunisation and other child-focused government programmes.
Also speaking, Kingsley Ukanwoke of the National Orientation Agency described the reform as a landmark step that will guarantee Nigerians legal identity while giving government accurate data for development planning. He pledged NOA’s support in sensitizing the public to adopt the electronic system.
Eke further disclosed that preparations for the next national population and housing census were at an advanced stage before the exercise was suspended in 2023 due to the election transition and economic challenges. He expressed optimism that the census could hold after the 2027 general elections, with possible approval from President Bola Tinubu in 2028.
With the E-CRVS platform now operational, the NPC says Nigeria has entered a new era of digital record-keeping, and Nigerians who rely on manual registration do so at their own risk.