…..Pledges support for country next population census
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday launched the National Geospatial Data Repository, the National Coordination Committee on CRVS, and the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (e-CRVS) in a historic ceremony held at the State House in Abuja.
This launch represents a significant step towards improving Nigeria’s civil registration and vital statistics system and supports the country’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16.9.2 for legal identity for all. It was made possible by the partnership of the National Population Commission (PC), UNICEF, and Barnksforte Technologies Limited.
He said the launch marks another great step in his administration’s efforts to generate accurate and reliable demographic data in Nigeria.
According to him, the CRVS system is the basic building block of an identity ecosystem that will help to improve service delivery, care and knowledge to Nigerians and shall ultimately become vital sources of identity data across federal agencies such as an National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Police Force, Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and other security outfits.
He said: “The system will also improve the ability of the federal agencies to generate vital statistics on important population events and migration further enabling the government to design well tailored, effective and efficient policy capable of meeting the needs of Nigerian people.
“Let’s always thank God that this country has been blessed, had been disaster free.
Sometimes when you see disaster even of minor magnitude involving lives of our people, you cannot easily say these are how many people involved.”
President Tinubu, who pledges support for the National Population Commission to conduct the 2023 National Population Census Exercise, said the population remains the greatest asset of the nation in her development process.
He encouraged government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to cooperate more in providing adequate data needed for planning and appealed to development partners for their support.
Tinubu stressed that conducting the census would give Nigeria a 100 per cent shot at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals pertaining to real-time identity management and population data that is Goal 16.9.2 on “legal identity for all, including birth registration”.
“It is hoped that the current drive to reposition this vital registration system, will provide the basis for 100% attainment of our year 2030 SDG targets in respect of real time identity management and population data.
“For me at this time, the commission has made substantial progress in quest to deliver the first digital population and housing census. It is my hope that the result of the census will provide the nation with much needed data for development planning and the enthronement of good governance.
“I call on the commission to deploy its cutting edge technology, especially the geospatial data that has been collected through the enumeration area, demarcation in implementing the -CRVS.
“The population remains the greatest asset of the nation in development process. Collecting accurate and reliable information on the size distribution, composition and characteristics of the population is an essential governance activity which is also consistent with our renewed hope agenda.
“The commission will therefore be supported and the conduct of this next census.”
He thanked the private solution providers for the laudable project and assure them that the federal government of Nigeria will always extend a hand of partnership to all private investors that want to partner with this government at all levels.
He said: “We are open for business and we are open for all possible partnership in a way that will determine and redirect our progress development to upgrade the character of our country.
“The VitalReg, I know is very special…The prosperity of our nation is assured if we can do a reliable and dependable exercise.
“I’m also pleased to inaugurate the national Coordination Committee of CRVS under the chairmanship of national population commission and composed of the stakeholder across all Federal ministries Departments and agencies.
“We say relevant ministries, departments, agencies. Please I appeal to all of you ministries, departments and agencies, don’t say this is not my business, please cooperate.”
He called on the National Population Commission to “deploy the cutting edge technology in the geospatial data that has been collected through the Enumeration Area Demarcation in implementing the eCRVS.”
He then presented a real-time generated birth certificate to an infant and inaugurated the National Coordinating Committee on the CRVS under the chairmanship of the NPC Chief, Dr Nasir Kwarra.
Speaking earlier, the Minister of
Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare, Ali Pate, said the CRVSC complements the administrative records that the FG currently holds and will provide the basis for effective planning of programmes, interventions and harness Nigeria’s demographic potentials.
“When we hear of maternal mortality rates under-five mortality rates or with zero-dose children and the health of our people in terms of statistics. Yes, those are statistics we should care about and use to plan. But behind those numbers are real people who suffer.
“This system that we’re putting in place would help us track that. But beyond that, we in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mr. President, have already committed to making maternal deaths in particular reportable.
“The 80,000 women who die from maternal causes should not be forgotten and this system will help make that more visible as part of our efforts to improve as we move forward,” Pate explained.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Kwarra said Wednesday’s launch, realised through the collaboration of the NPC, UNICEF, and Barnksforte Technologies Limited, marks a decisive step toward enhancing Nigeria’s civil registration and vital statistics system, underpinning the nation’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16.9.2 for legal identity for all.
He noted, “The aim of this high-level event is to emphasise the commitment of the current government and leadership to strengthen civil registration data capturing, collation, processing, dissemination and timely access to vital statistics in the country.”
Meanwhile, the Country Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund, Cristian Munduate, appealed for improved funding for civil registration at all levels of government nationwide.
She emphasised the need for public financing to sustain and accelerate the registration process, calling for the transformation of health facilities and community outreach programmes in a way that promotes the registration of births and deaths.
Munduate also revealed that the UN agency is currently recording births of five million Nigerian children in recognition of the significance of integrating the eCRVS system.
“Unicef remains steadfast in its support of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s endeavor to build a sustainable civil registration and vital statistics system.
“We are committed to providing assistance in establishing the necessary requirements for the successful compilation and process of vital data,” she said.
She noted that the strategic partnership between PC and UNICEF, complemented by the Public-Private Partnership with Barnksforte Technologies Limited, will overhaul the registration of vital events, transitioning Nigeria from a paper-based system to an internationally aligned digital framework.
Present at the launch were the Director-General of the National Identity Management Agency, Bisoye Coker-Odusote, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, some members of the Federal Executive Council and the diplomatic corps.
Also present were traditional rulers including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi Adeyeye; the Tor Tiv, James Ayatse; the Etsu of Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, amongst others.