By Ayodele Abere
The National Population Commission (NPC), Ekiti State, has launched the Fully Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) System, known as the VitalReg Platform, with a call on residents to ensure that every birth and death is registered through the new digital platform.
The Honourable Federal Commissioner of the Commission in Ekiti State, Hon. Kola Alabi, made the call during a press briefing held on Wednesday at the NPC State Office, Ado-Ekiti, the State capital.
Hon. Alabi said the nationwide rollout of the VitalReg platform, which commenced on July 1, 2026, marks a major milestone in Nigeria’s drive to modernise civil registration. He noted that the digital initiative is designed to improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and provide reliable demographic data for national planning, adding that accurate records remain essential for effective governance and sustainable development.
The Commissioner expressed concern that birth registration coverage in Nigeria is currently about 57 per cent, while death registration remains below 20 per cent, leaving millions of Nigerians without legal identity. He disclosed that the Commission has established 4,011 registration centres nationwide, including 96 centres across Ekiti State’s 16 local government areas, with plans to expand the network to about 8,000 centres across the country.
According to him, the VitalReg platform offers faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance, reduced paperwork, improved data validation and a secure national Civil Registration and Vital Statistics database. He added that the Commission is partnering with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), UNICEF and Barnksforte Technologies Limited to decentralise registration services and improve access at the grassroots.
Earlier, the State Director of the National Population Commission, Mr. Olayomi Gbenga Abayomi, urged journalists to support the initiative through accurate and responsible reporting. He said the Commission had also collaborated with relevant ministries and stakeholders to intensify public sensitisation across the state to ensure residents understand the benefits of the new digital registration system.
The Head of the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Department, Mrs. Balogun, demonstrated the registration process, explaining that registration begins with the National Identification Number (NIN). She said children without a NIN would have one generated during registration, while those between zero and four years would be registered free of charge. She added that late registration for children aged five years and above attracts an administrative fee of ₦5,000, while previously issued birth certificates remain valid despite the transition to the digital platform.
The Commission urged residents of Ekiti State to take advantage of the online self-service registration portal and other designated registration centres across the state. It also reaffirmed its commitment to working with traditional rulers, religious leaders, local government councils and the media to achieve universal birth and death registration and build a credible national database for evidence-based planning.
