NPC Rolls Out Digital Birth, Death Registration Across Benue’s 23 LGAs

The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced full digital registration of births and deaths across Benue State’s 23 local government areas, marking a significant step in Nigeria’s efforts to modernise its civil registration system and improve demographic data collection.

The electronic registration exercise, carried out under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system, is now operational across the state’s 23 local government areas, 273 council wards and 79 registration centres through a secure digital platform known as VitalReg.

Announcing the rollout in Makurdi, the Federal Commissioner representing Benue State at the NPC, Barr. Patricia Iyanya Kupchi, described the initiative as a major milestone in strengthening Nigeria’s civil registration framework.

She disclosed that the digital registration system became fully operational on July 1, 2026, following a directive from the Commission’s headquarters as part of the nationwide implementation of the E-CRVS initiative.

“This marks a major milestone in our efforts to strengthen civil registration, improve the quality of demographic data and ensure that every birth and every death occurring in Benue State is properly recorded through a modern, secure and technology-driven system,” Kupchi said.

She explained that the initiative builds on the national launch of the E-CRVS system by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in November 2023, describing it as a key component of the Federal Government’s drive towards digital innovation, efficient identity management and improved public service delivery.

According to the commissioner, birth and death registration goes beyond issuing certificates, noting that it provides citizens with legal identity while supplying government with reliable demographic information needed for planning in education, healthcare, security, social welfare and economic development.

Kupchi expressed concern that many births and deaths across communities remain undocumented despite previous efforts, a situation she said affects both citizens rights and effective government planning.

“Although significant progress has been made over the years, many births and deaths in our communities are still not registered. This affects not only the rights of individuals but also government planning and resource allocation. It is therefore important that every birth and every death is registered promptly,” she stated.

She explained that the VitalReg platform is designed to simplify registration by providing faster services, reducing paperwork, strengthening data protection and improving digital validation of records.

The system, she added, offers both self-service and assisted-service registration options, making it accessible to residents regardless of their level of digital literacy or internet connectivity. It also integrates with other government digital identity platforms to improve coordination among public institutions.

Kupchi further disclosed that the NPC has entered into a partnership with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF and Barnksforte Technologies Limited to decentralise birth registration and legal identity services to the grassroots.

According to her, the partnership is expected to expand access to registration services, improve operational efficiency and strengthen community participation while enhancing the accuracy and inclusiveness of demographic data across Benue’s 273 wards.

She appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, healthcare workers, local government authorities, civil society organisations and the media to intensify public awareness campaigns aimed at encouraging families to register births and deaths without delay.

The commissioner also reassured residents that birth registration remains highly subsidised in line with the NPC’s commitment to achieving universal birth registration under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.9, noting that administrative fees apply only to specialised services such as corrections, certificate reissuance, attestations and verification requests.

“Our goal is not to create barriers but to improve service delivery for everyone,” she said.

Kupchi appreciated the Benue State Government, local government councils, development partners, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, technical partners and the media for supporting the implementation of the programme.

She also commended NPC staff in the state for ensuring the successful rollout of the digital registration system and urged residents to take advantage of the platform by promptly registering every birth and death.

To demonstrate the efficiency of the new system, the commissioner successfully registered one-month-old Ikpanyar Awai using the VitalReg platform during the launch.

Also speaking, a former Secretary of the Commission and Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Benue State Chapter, who also leads the Onah Adeyi International Disability Centre (OAIDC), commended the initiative and praised the commission for ensuring that persons with disabilities are fully included in the registration process.