Nigeria has launched a nationwide digital registration system for births and deaths under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) initiative.
The National Population Commission (NPC) said the new platform, known as VitalReg, became operational across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory on 1 July 2026, marking a major reform aimed at improving service delivery, expanding legal identity coverage and strengthening the country’s demographic database.
Speaking at a press briefing in Awka, the Federal Commissioner representing Anambra State in the NPC, Nze Chidi Ezeoke, described the initiative as one of the most significant reforms in Nigeria’s civil registration system.
He said the technology-driven platform would ensure the secure and accurate registration of every birth and death in the country while improving data integrity and access to civil registration services.
According to Ezeoke, VitalReg offers faster registration, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, reduced paperwork, improved data validation and a more secure national civil registration database.
He said the platform builds on the inauguration of the E-CRVS system and the National Coordination Committee on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics by President Bola Tinubu in November 2023.
The commissioner noted that Nigeria records about five million births annually, but only about 57 per cent are officially registered, while fewer than 20 per cent of deaths are documented. He said the gaps deny millions of Nigerians legal identity and limit the availability of reliable demographic data for national planning.
To improve access, Ezeoke said the NPC currently operates 4,011 registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and plans to expand the number to about 8,000. He added that Anambra State has 131 centres across its 21 local government areas, with more planned.
The commission, he said, is working with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF and Barnksforte Technologies Ltd. to improve accessibility, decentralise services and enhance data accuracy.
Ezeoke explained that the platform is operated under a Public-Private Partnership with Barnksforte Technologies Ltd. to ensure system reliability, cybersecurity and continuous technological upgrades.
He also announced revised fees for specialised administrative services such as record modifications, certificate reissuance and verification requests but assured Nigerians that birth registration and birth notification services remain highly subsidised.
The commissioner urged parents, healthcare providers, traditional and religious institutions, government agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and the media to support the initiative by ensuring the prompt registration of every birth and death.
The briefing also marked the 2026 World Population Day, with Ezeoke calling for greater investment in education, healthcare, skills development, employment, gender equality and youth participation in governance.
Earlier, NPC State Director in Anambra, Obiakonwa Okagwu, said the transition from paper-based registration to the digital VitalReg platform would significantly improve the efficiency, accessibility and security of civil registration services while strengthening Nigeria’s population data system.
