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First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu with Wife of the Vice President of Nigeria Hajia Nana Shettima flanked by mothers carrying the babies who were registered at the official Launch of the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI Project to Accelerate Birth Registration at Scale in Nigeria held at the Banquet hall, State House Abuja on Thursday 29th 2024
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, says the child registration will safeguard children’s rights and privileges, and ensure that no violation of those rights goes unnoticed.
The First Lady stated this on Thursday during the official launch of the 2024 United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund and the Renewed Hope Initiative Commemorative Birth Certificate at the State House in Abuja.
Tinubu emphasised that birth registration certificate was pivotal to the country’s development and governance and that the register would form a basis for policy formation, planning and service delivery that meets the needs of Nigerians.
She described the document as a child’s “legal proof of identity” and encouraged parents to register their children’s births and obtain the authentic certificates recognised by the government.
“It is important to note that a robust and efficient civil registration system is pivotal to our development and governance. This ensures that every live birth is recorded, and forms the basis for policy, planning, and service delivery that meets the needs of all Nigerians. This is more than an administrative task; it provides the foundation for our social security.
“Our children, the treasure of our nation, should be guaranteed their rights and privileges from the onset. A well-functioning civil registration and vital statistics safeguard these rights and ensure no violation goes unnoticed. To all parents, birth registration is very vital. It is the child’s legal proof of identity as a Nigerian, without which children will not be fully recognised by the government.
“They could miss out on the government’s provision of healthcare, education, and other social amenities. Without a birth certificate, children will be unable to prove their age, and this puts them at a great disadvantage. I therefore encourage all parents to register the birth of their children and obtain authentic birth certificates recognised by the government”, the First Lady said.
Tinubu also explained that the commemorative birth certificate will run from August 29 to December 31, 2024, while congratulating the National Population Commission, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and other stakeholders for the initiative to ensure that a National Identification Number was issued to children at birth, beginning from 2024.
“I also congratulate the National Population Commission, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Identity Management Commission and Barnksforte Technologies Limited, the private sector partner, for their bold initiative to ensure that a national identification number is issued to every child at birth, starting in 2024.
“That is why the Renewed Hope Initiative is launching the 2024 commemorative birth certificate to support the government’s birth registration drive. This particular certificate will be issued by the National Population Commission for the birth from 29th of August 2024, like the ones we just saw today to 31st December, 2024 with the RHI logo”, she stated.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director of Barnksforte Technologies Limited, technical partner to the NPC, Mr Adebayo Bankole, said the partnership sought to provide the technological solution for end users, as well as the capturing and verification of births, noting that the registration was previously done manually while stressing the role of establishing a foundational identity and ensuring the security of data for every child.
The UNICEF Country Representative, Ms Christian Munduate appreciated the efforts of the Nigerian Government in ensuring that no birth goes unregistered especially with the introduction of technological methods to ramp up the statistics.
“Nigeria has done a lot and now with the First Lady lending her voice and her initiative, I am sure we will achieve the desired mark”, she said.
