The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced nationwide digital registration of births and deaths through its new Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system, known as the VitalReg platform.
The digital registration exercise, which officially began on July 1, 2026, is being implemented across Niger State and the rest of the country to provide faster, more efficient and accessible civil registration services for Nigerians.
In a statement issued in Minna, the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Aminu Yusuf, described the rollout of the VitalReg platform as one of the most significant reforms in Nigeria’s civil registration system.
The NPC Director in Niger State, Yusuf Sabo, said the platform provides round-the-clock online access to birth and death registration services, including the issuance of digital certificates where applicable.
According to him, the platform is also designed to integrate securely with other government digital identity systems, helping to strengthen identity management and public service delivery.
Sabo explained that the new system replaces cumbersome manual processes with automated data validation, reducing paperwork and long waiting periods while improving the accuracy and security of civil registration records.
He said the initiative would also enhance the country’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) database, providing government with more reliable demographic information for policy formulation, resource allocation and national development planning.
“The VitalReg platform eliminates cumbersome paperwork and long waiting times through automated data validation, improving the accuracy of records while creating a more secure national Civil Registration and Vital Statistics database to support governance and national planning,” he said.
To deepen access to registration services at the grassroots, Sabo disclosed that the commission had entered into a partnership with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF and Barnksforte Technologies Limited.
According to him, the partnership seeks to decentralise and localise birth registration and legal identity services, making them more accessible to communities across the country.
He added that the collaboration is expected to improve public participation in civil registration while enhancing the quality, accuracy and inclusiveness of Nigeria’s national identity database.
Sabo further explained that the VitalReg platform is being implemented under a public-private partnership with Barnksforte Technologies Limited, which serves as the commission’s technical partner.
He said the company is responsible for ensuring system availability, cybersecurity, maintenance and continuous technological upgrades.
The NPC director noted that the platform builds on the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system launched by President Bola Tinubu on November 8, 2023, alongside the inauguration of the National Coordination Committee on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics.
He confirmed that the digital registration system is now fully operational across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking on the importance of the initiative, NPC Chairman Aminu Yusuf said Nigeria records an estimated five million births every year, yet a large proportion remain undocumented.
According to him, birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent, while death registration remains below 20 per cent, leaving millions of Nigerians without legal identity and depriving government of accurate demographic data needed for effective planning.
Despite a recent review of service charges, Yusuf assured Nigerians that birth registration and birth notification services remain highly subsidised.
He stressed that the fee adjustment was not intended to discourage access but to support the sustainability and efficiency of the country’s civil registration system.
The commission expressed confidence that the nationwide rollout of the VitalReg platform would improve registration coverage, strengthen legal identity management and provide more reliable population data to support governance and socio-economic development.