FIC Report (Ekiti State) – National Population Commission (NPC) has officially commenced full digital registration of births and deaths in Ekiti under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system.
The Commission also unveiled plans to expand its registration network from 4,011 to about 8,000 centres nationwide to improve access to civil registration services.
The NPC Federal Commissioner in Ekiti State, Kola Alabi, announced the commencement at a press briefing in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, describing the initiative as a landmark reform aimed at modernising Nigeria’s civil registration system through technology.
Alabi said the digital registration exercise forms part of the nationwide rollout of the VitalReg platform, which began on July 1, 2026, across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to him, the initiative builds on the launch of the E-CRVS system and the inauguration of the National Coordination Committee on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on November 8, 2023.
He explained that the digital platform would guarantee that every birth and death occurring in Nigeria is accurately and securely documented while enhancing service delivery and strengthening the integrity of national demographic data.
Alabi expressed concern over Nigeria’s low civil registration coverage, noting that although the country records an estimated five million births annually, millions of births and deaths still go undocumented.
He disclosed that birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent.
According to him, the development deprives many Nigerians of legal identity and limits the availability of credible demographic data required for effective governance, policy formulation, resource allocation and national development planning.
According to him, “Today, we are here to step down a historic national directive to the state level, the full commencement of digital registration of births and deaths on the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system.
“On 1st July 2026, the National Population Commission, commenced the nationwide rollout of the “VitalReg platform across the 36 States and the FCT. This transformative initiative builds on the historic launch of the E-CRVS System and the inauguration of the National Coordination Committee on CRVS by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on 8th November 2023.
“Today’s announcement marks the next critical step in our collective efforts to build a modern, efficient, and technology-driven civil registration system that meets international standards and supports Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The digital innovation is one of the most transformative reforms in the history of civil registration in Nigeria. It reflects the Commission’s unwavering commitment to leveraging technology to improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity, and guarantee that every birth and every death occurring in Nigeria, including in Ekiti State, is documented accurately and securely.
“Civil Registration is far more than an administrative process. It contributes to reliable national statistics that guide public policy, resource allocation and development planning.
“Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions of these births and deaths go unregistered. Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 percent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 percent. These gaps deprive many Nigerians of legal identity and limit the availability of reliable data needed for effective national planning.
“To address this challenge, the NPC has established 4,011 functional registration centres across 774 Local Government Areas, of which Ekiti State has 96 across the 16 LGAs. We are working to expand this network to about 8,000 nationwide,
“The platform is designed to modernize birth and death documentation and improve citizens’ access to these services nationwide.
“It will deliver faster and more efficient registration services, 24-hour online access to services, digital certificate issuance where applicable, reduced paperwork and waiting time, improved accuracy through automated data validation, more secure and credible state and national CRVS database, as well as foundational database that supports all other national data systems.”
Earlier, Ekiti State NPC Director, Gbenga Olayomi, described the commencement of the digital registration system as a significant milestone in the commission’s efforts to strengthen one of its core mandates.
He said the initiative represents a deliberate and strategic step towards addressing critical civil registration challenges in Ekiti State and across the country, expressing confidence that the digital platform would improve service delivery, expand access to legal identity, and provide more reliable data for national development.
Omotoso Julius
ACE&PRO
31/07/2026.
