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| Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office |
As Lagos partners with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to unveil the E-Birth Registration Initiative, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu affirmed the digital system will make Lagos Nigeria’s first state to achieve complete birth registration coverage.
Sanwo-Olu spoke on Thursday, at the initiative’s unveiling, also supported by the National Population Commission (NPC), and Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), noting, it would ensure that every child born in Lagos is captured in the national database.
In his address, Governor Sanwo-Olu affirmed that the E-Birth Registration will make it easier to capture children’s data from birth and link it with their National Identification Number (NIN), strengthening data management and government planning.
Sanwo-Olu emphasised that accurate population data would enable government to plan more effectively for healthcare, education, and development.
“Every child from zero to 12 months must be registered under the National Population Commission. With the E-registration, their data will be collected right from birth, and that is the way forward,” the governor declared.
“Government can use this data to plan, to support development, and to know where each and every one of us lives. That is why all local government chairmen are here to take this message to their communities,” he added.
The governor commended UNICEF, NPC, ALGON, and other partners for their collaboration.
"We are crafting a Greater Lagos, a city that embraces digital inclusion, responds to social needs, and undergoes physical transformation, where every child matters and every citizen reaps the rewards of effective governance," Sanwo-Olu said.
Speaking at the event, Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his administration’s unwavering commitment to child registration and digital data systems.
She declared that birth registration is far more than paperwork, describing it as a vital instrument for giving every child a legal identity and access to essential services such as healthcare and education.
Lafoucriere warned, “Without a birth certificate, a child cannot access healthcare properly, cannot enrol in school, and cannot get social services. They are invisible. And we know what happens to invisible children.”
She noted that Lagos State currently leads the country with about 94 percent of children under five already registered, but stressed that greater effort is required to reach children in informal and unreachable communities.
According to Lafoucriere, UNICEF is supporting the registration of 3.69 million children under one year across 15 states, with Lagos targeting 545,000 children this year.
She enjoined government agencies, local councils, traditional and religious leaders, the media, and civil society groups to unite in ensuring every child is registered.
“Today is not just a launch; it is about accountability. Every stakeholder must play their part so that no child is left out,” she stressed.
