The National Population Commission says it plans to establish 8,000 digital civil registration centres nationwide, after expanding services to about 4,000 of Nigeria’s 8,809 wards.

NPC Chairman, Dr Aminu Yusuf, said the initiative would decentralise birth and death registration and make services more accessible, especially in underserved communities.

He said Nigeria launched its nationwide digital civil registration system, VitalReg, on July 1, replacing the manual system.

The commission is working with NIMC, ALGON, UNICEF, health agencies and state governments to integrate birth registration into healthcare and community services.

NPC said the digital system would help prevent multiple registrations, improve identity management and provide timely vital statistics.

UNICEF urged continued investment in digital and decentralised registration, describing birth registration as a fundamental right and a gateway to essential services such as healthcare, education and social protection.