The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the nationwide digital registration of births and deaths through its newly introduced VitalReg platform, marking a significant step towards modernising Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system.
The Federal Commissioner representing Anambra State at the NPC, Mr. Chidi Ezeoke, announced the development during a press conference in Awka on Friday.
The event also marked the 2026 World Population Day, observed globally every July 11.
Ezeoke said the VitalReg platform became fully operational across the country on July 1, 2026, enabling the electronic registration of all births and deaths through the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system.
He described the initiative as a major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to ensure that every birth and death is captured through a secure and digitally enabled registration process.
According to him, the programme 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 disclosed that the commission has established 4,011 functional registration centres across the 774 local government areas of the country, with plans to increase the number to about 8,000.
“In Anambra State alone, 131 registration centres have been established across the 21 local government headquarters and several communities, while additional centres have been proposed to improve access,” he said.
Ezeoke explained that the VitalReg platform offers round-the-clock online access to registration services, faster processing, digital certificate issuance where applicable, reduced paperwork and waiting time, improved data validation, and a more secure national database.
He added that the platform would serve as a foundational database for other national information systems and strengthen interoperability within Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.
The commissioner called on parents, guardians, healthcare providers, community leaders and other stakeholders to ensure the prompt registration of every birth and death, describing civil registration as a civic responsibility essential for national planning and development.
Speaking on the theme of the 2026 World Population Day, “Realizing the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People – Today and for the Future,” Ezeoke stressed the need for increased investment in education, healthcare, skills acquisition, decent employment and greater youth participation in governance.
He said empowering young people remains critical to achieving sustainable national development.
Earlier, the NPC State Director in Anambra, Mr. Obiakonwa Okagwu, said the commemoration was a reminder of the enormous opportunities available to harness the potential of Nigeria’s youthful population.
He noted that the country’s future depends largely on how well its young people are nurtured and empowered.
Okagwu also urged residents to embrace the registration of births and deaths as a national obligation and appealed to media organisations to support the commission by creating awareness about the importance of civil registration across the state.
