The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced its commitment to collaborate with the Lagos State Government to ensure that every child is accounted for through universal birth registration.
Speaking during a multi-sectoral stakeholders’ dialogue on birth registration in Lagos, Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF’s Lagos Field Office, described birth registration as the cornerstone of child protection and access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and social welfare.
“Birth registration is a child’s first recognition by the state. Without it, children are invisible — left without access to vital services or legal identity,” Lafoucriere said.
She praised Lagos State for leading in national birth registration efforts, reporting that 94% of children under the age of five in the state have already been registered. She added that in September alone, over six million birth certificates were issued in Lagos out of the 16 million distributed across Nigeria, marking the highest coverage in the country.
Despite this progress, Lafoucriere pointed out that significant gaps still exist, particularly in hard-to-reach communities, informal settlements, and among low-income families. She emphasized that UNICEF’s current focus is on newborns, as millions of under-five children have already been registered in the past three years.
“This year, we aim to reduce the number of unregistered newborns, with a target of registering 545,000 in Lagos by 2025,” she said.
She also revealed that all necessary training for health workers and birth registration staff across Lagos’ 20 local government areas has been completed, with equipment and tablets already distributed.
Lagos Commissioner and Stakeholders Emphasize Local Involvement
Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC) in Lagos, called on local government authorities, religious groups, and traditional leaders to increase advocacy efforts and raise awareness in their communities.
“Without a birth certificate, a child has no legal identity. And without identity, planning for healthcare, education, and infrastructure becomes impossible,” she said.
Highlighting the significance of the dialogue, Oladunjoye reiterated that birth registration is the first legal recognition of a child by the state and must be prioritised at all levels.
Need for Awareness and Systemic Reform
UNICEF’s Social Behaviour Change Specialist, Mrs. Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, identified several barriers to achieving universal birth registration, including lack of public awareness, poor accessibility, weak policy frameworks, limited logistics, and poor integration into routine public services.
She recommended increased community engagement, targeted public campaigns, improved training for frontline workers, and incorporating birth registration into existing feedback and service delivery systems.
UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Mr. Dennis Onoise, also presented Nigeria’s strategic acceleration plan, which outlines a roadmap for a modern, inclusive, and digitised civil registration and vital statistics system. He emphasized the importance of aligning these goals with both national and global development frameworks.
“By investing in participatory governance, digital technology, and improved infrastructure, we can ensure that every child is counted and protected,” Onoise said.
Call for Stronger Collaboration
Mrs. Olajumoke Otitoloju, a welfare officer with the Child Protection Network (CPN), stressed that unofficial charges and lack of public understanding continue to discourage many parents from registering their children. She called for the establishment of birth registration desks in primary schools, healthcare centres, and religious institutions to improve outreach.
“Birth registration is not just a formality — it is a child’s legal identity. Traditional rulers, religious leaders, the media, and civil society must work together to make this a civic responsibility for all,” she urged.
Theme: Every Child Counts
The dialogue, themed “Every Child Counts: Accelerating Birth Registration in Lagos State,” brought together key actors from various sectors including health, education, youth and social development, along with representatives from ALGON, traditional institutions, religious bodies, and the media.
The collective aim is to remove barriers, raise awareness, and build a resilient system where no child is left without legal recognition in Nigeria’s most populous state.