Gloria Essien Abuja
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Abbas Tajudeen, has supported a modern, technology-driven system for the registration of births, deaths, marriages, and other vital events in Nigeria.
He described accurate data as the foundation of effective national planning and governance.
Mr Abbas gave his support while declaring open a public hearing on the Bill to Repeal and Re-enact the Births, Deaths, etc. (Compulsory Registration) Act, in Abuja .
He said that the proposed legislation seeks to modernise Nigeria’s civil registration system by introducing an electronic framework for the collection and management of vital statistics.
“Accurate and timely registration of births, stillbirths, deaths, marriages, and other vital events is essential for national planning, social development, and good governance. The current Act was made for a different era, one without digital tools or modern data systems,” Mr. Abbas said.
He stressed that the electronic registration framework will help eliminate duplication and fraud, enhance identity management, and improve access to certificates across all regions.
The Speaker added that innovations like the modern, electronic, and efficient Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) framework align with international best practices and the United Nations recommendations.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Population, Mr. Odimayo Okunjimi, said the existing legal framework for civil registration is obsolete and incapable of meeting the demands of a digitally driven society.
“Without reliable civil registration and vital statistics, the nation cannot effectively plan or deliver social services,” Okunjimi stated. “This Bill will establish a unified, modern system that reflects today’s realities and future needs,” Mr. Okunjimi said.
He said that the current Act is not just obsolete but designed for a time when population mobility, digital recordkeeping, and demographic planning were at a very different stage.
He noted weak data integration between federal and state systems, and an absence of digital infrastructure for secure and accessible recordkeeping.
“This Bill seeks to repeal the existing law and re-enact a modern, comprehensive, and technology-driven framework that reflects present realities and future needs,” he said.
The Nigerian Ministry of Health has commended the move by the House of Representatives to repeal the birth, death ( Compulsory Registration) Act of 2004 and re-enact the birth, death, etc ( Compulsory Registration) Act 2004 to provide for electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system and for related matters.
A representative of the ministry, Mr. Magnus Ike, said that the ministry, being the greatest consumer of the data generated from the registration, strongly supports the re-enactment of the bill.
Mr. Ike also said that the new bill will make announcing the cause of death mandatory.
He noted that the ambiguity in the old act will be addressed by the new one, and urged the committee to look at the details of the recommendations.
The Director General of the National Population Commission Mr. Mr. Osifo Tellson Ojogun, supports the repeal of the bill.
The United Nations Children’s Education Fund, UNICEF, thanked the Committee for the important Public Hearing on the Bill to Repeal and Re-Enact the Births and Deaths (Compulsory Registration) Act.
The UNICEF Child Protection Manager, Mona Aika, said that UNICEF has been a long-standing partner to the Government of Nigeria in advancing children’s rights and strengthening systems that ensure every child is visible, protected, and has access to essential services.
“We therefore strongly support the intent of this Bill – to modernise Nigeria’s civil registration and vital statistics system and to transition fully to an electronic framework.
“Having reviewed the Bill, we commend the Committee’s leadership and wish to make two key recommendations: ” First, that the title of the Bill be revised to “Civil Registration Bill” – to accurately reflect its full scope, which extends beyond births and deaths to include all vital events such as marriages, adoptions, and changes of name. This aligns with international best practice and ensures clarity in the law’s intent and application.
“Second, we recommend reinstating Section 26 of the existing Act, which establishes collaboration between the health sector and the civil registration authority.
“This will ensure full integration of health data with the national Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) database – a critical step for achieving interoperability, accuracy, and real-time data flow between health and registration systems”, she said.
She reaffirmed UNICEFs commitment to working with the National Population Commission, the Ministry of Health, and all partners to ensure that every child’s birth is not just recorded, but recognised, strengthening Nigeria’s identity systems and advancing the right of every child to be counted.
If passed, the bill will replace outdated laws, establish a national digital registry, and strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for data-driven development and security planning.