Abuja, April 13, 2026 — The Women Affairs Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has intensified efforts to expand birth registration coverage by working closely with traditional rulers to ensure children aged zero to five years are properly documented.
The Mandate Secretary, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, made this known on Monday during a community mobilisation visit to the palace of the Sapeyi of Garki, Alhaji Usman Nga-Kupi, in the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
She explained that the initiative is aimed at guaranteeing that all children within the age range are registered and issued birth certificates, which serve as official proof of identity and safeguard their rights from early childhood.
According to her, the programme is being implemented in collaboration with key partners including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the National Population Commission (NPC), the National Orientation Agency, the National Identity Management Commission, the FCT Primary Healthcare Board, area council administrations, and local government workers’ associations. She added that the nationwide campaign is also aligned with the efforts being coordinated by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.
Benjamins-Laniyi noted that the mobilisation exercise commenced in Abaji Area Council on March 28 and has since been extended across all other area councils in the FCT. She also confirmed that traditional rulers across the territory’s 17 chiefdoms have been actively supporting the outreach.
She stressed that engagement with community leaders has helped deepen awareness at the grassroots level, ensuring the message reaches households directly. “With the support of royal fathers, we are ensuring that every child is identified, registered, and protected from the start of life,” she said.
The Director of Child Development in the secretariat, Dr. Idris Attah, said the exercise is designed to scale up registration across communities and improve access to digital birth certificates, particularly for children from birth to five years. He added that registration remains free for all eligible children in the FCT.
A Child Protection Officer with UNICEF, Mr. Charles Awuna, said the initiative would strengthen legal identity systems for children, noting that birth registration is essential for inclusion in national records and access to basic rights and services. He added that the effort supports the broader goals of the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative in improving child welfare outcomes.
The FCT Director of the National Population Commission, Alhaji Sulaiman Gada, acknowledged that birth registration levels for children under five remain below expectations and praised ongoing interventions to address the gap. He also encouraged greater use of traditional institutions to ensure wider coverage and urged caregivers to preserve issued certificates properly to avoid data loss during digital processing.
The Sapeyi of Garki, Alhaji Usman Nga-Kupi, welcomed the campaign and pledged the support of ward, village, and district leaders to ensure full participation and compliance across his domain.