Journalists, Partners Meet in Lagos to Close Birth Registration Gap in South-West
Development partners parleyed with Journalists from Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Edo States to chart a new course for closing the birth registration gap in the South-West region.
This was the focus of a two-day media dialogue on “Support Advocacy on Birth Registration of Children Under One Year”, organised by the Lagos State Office of the National Population Commission (NPoPC) in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF.)
The dialogue, organized to strengthen awareness and accountability, focused on the urgent need for every child in the region to have a legal identity through timely birth registration.
Speaking at the event , Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, said : “Birth registration is much more than an administrative procedure. It officially establishes a child’s existence and provides the foundation for accessing critical rights and services such as health, education, and social protection,”.
Lafoucriere described legal identity as a fundamental right of every child, stressing that birth registration was much more than an administrative procedure, as it officially establishes a child’s existence and provides the foundation for accessing critical rights and services.
According to her, “right now, across your various states, some babies born even this morning will end this day with no name on any government record. This translates to 3.5 million children with no birth certificate, no legal identity, and no proof on any record that they were ever born across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Edo states.”
The UNICEF chief urged journalists to keep the issue of birth registration in the public consciousness, stressing that the media had a critical role in ensuring that parents and caregivers understood the consequences of failing to register their children promptly.
According to her, “3.5 million” should remain a key figure in the minds of journalists covering the issue, noting that children without legal identity could be found in both cities and villages, including some born in health facilities who were never registered.
She stressed that a birth certificate should not be viewed as “a piece of paper”, but as an important document that enables a child to establish identity and access education, healthcare and other services.
Lafoucriere said children without legal identity could face difficulties proving their age and nationality, obtaining passports and participating fully in civic and economic life as they grow older.
She identified inadequate awareness, cultural practices, geographical barriers and limited access to registration services as some of the factors contributing to the persistent gap, calling for sustained public enlightenment and improved access to registration facilities.
In his remarks ,the Lagos State Director of the National Population Commission, Abiola Kekere-Ekun charged the media to move beyond reporting statistics and government activities by taking the birth registration message directly to parents and caregivers in communities.
Badejo said journalists could contribute significantly through sustained advocacy, sensitisation and public enlightenment, while also holding government agencies and other stakeholders accountable for ensuring that birth registration services function efficiently.
He stressed that accurate registration of births was also essential for effective governance, as reliable demographic data would enable the government to determine the number and distribution of children and plan adequately for education, healthcare, social protection and other services.
UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Denis Onoise, described birth registration as a critical component of children’s rights, saying it provides legal recognition of a child’s existence before the law.
Onoise noted that children without birth certificates or recognised documentation could encounter serious difficulties accessing certain services and proving their identity or age later in life.
He therefore called for stronger awareness among parents and communities and urged stakeholders to make birth registration a priority from the earliest stage of a child’s life.
Onoise who identified factors including lack of enough registration centers, financial cost and accessibility in rural communities among others as an impediment in capturing children, solicited the support of all stakeholders in bridging the gaps.
UNICEF Communication Officer, Blessing Ejiofor, said the media dialogue was organised to strengthen journalists’ capacity to report effectively on birth registration and support advocacy aimed at increasing the number of children registered within their first year.
She said achieving universal birth registration would require sustained media advocacy, stronger institutional coordination, improved accessibility of registration services and continuous accountability by relevant authorities.
To achieve this, according to her would require concerted efforts by government, development partners, traditional and community leaders, health workers and the media to ensure that no child is left without a recognised legal identity.
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