The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that e-birth registration provides children in Nigeria the right to a legal identity.

Celine Lafoucriere, chief of the UNICEF field office for South-West, stated this during a two-day media dialogue on Wednesday in Lagos and said that without a birth certificate, the child remains invisible.

UNICEF organised the media dialogue in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development and the National Population Commission.

Ms Lafoucriere said a registered child has an acknowledged right to quality protection, health, education and other crucial services.

Ms Lafoucriere also said that birth registration would assist the government in adequately planning children’s rights and generate valid statistics for planning. She said e-birth registration allowed parents to register their children as soon as they were born.

Ms Lafoucriere, however, urged the media to raise awareness and educate Nigerians on the importance of birth registration.

In his presentation, Bamidele Sadiku, NPC Lagos office director, said linking birth registration with the National Identification Number (NIN) would curb double registration.

Mr Sadiku said that since NIN is unique to every individual, it would help the commission to erase double birth registration.

“By linking NIN with a birth certificate, people will not have the courage for double registration. This will also provide us with adequate record, which will become authentic and provide adequate planning,” he said.

(NAN)