The National Orientation Agency (NOA), in partnership with National Population Commission (NPC), plans to register the births of 395,382 children in Niger. NOA’s official Bala Musa and UNICEF focal person disclosed this during an advocacy visit to the Emir of Minna, Umar Faruq, and the chairman of Chanchaga LGA, Aminu Ladan, in Minna.

Mr Musa said UNICEF was supporting the birth registration, adding that it would be carried out using a digitalised application.

“Birth registration is vital, and birth certificate is a vital document because it helps our children in so many ways,” stated Mr Musa.

Mr Musa added that the registration would take place at health facilities and designated centres and solicited traditional leaders’ support for the exercise’s success.

Maudu Aliyu, NPC vital registration department head in Niger, said the exercise would take place in three phases, with Chanchaga, Edati, Lavun, Mokwa, Borgu, Agwara, Paikoro and Bosso council areas in the first phase.

Mr Aliyu said three ad hoc staff had been recruited from each ward to conduct the exercise, adding that the first phase would last for 10 days while printing certificates would be done 15 days after the exercise.

He appealed to the Emir and the chairman of Chanchaga to help sensitise and mobilise the people to come out en masse to register their children, as the state was lagging in birth registration.

NOA state director Yahaya Gbongbo said birth certificates were important in every individual’s life and called for cooperation from local government chairs for a hitch-free exercise.

(NAN)