When Khadija Idris registered her first daughter, Yushroh, for a birth certificate in Ilorin, Kwara State, she believed she was securing her child’s future.
“The day I did the birth registration, I met two women asking nursing mothers if they wanted birth certificates for their children, so I decided to get it,” she recalls.
What should have been a straightforward process soon became a frustrating encounter with the realities of Nigeria’s evolving digital identity system.
Months later, when she attempted to update her daughter’s details and obtain the new digital permanent birth certificate, persistent network failures stalled the process. Officials assured her the problem would be resolved.
She returned repeatedly, each time carrying a small slip of paper containing a reference number.
“Each time I went, they said it was not available,” she says.
Eventually, she stopped trying.
For her second child, she abandoned the digital route altogether.
“I just went for that paper registration and got the birth certificate immediately.”
Khadija’s experience reflects a wider challenge confronting Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) agenda.
DPI refers to the foundational digital systems that enable citizens to access essential services such as identity, healthcare, education, financial services and social protection. Built around digital identity systems, payment infrastructure and interoperable data exchange, it provides the backbone upon which sector-specific services operate.
One such system is Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), which records vital life events such as births and deaths and supports effective planning and service delivery. Without birth registration, a child effectively begins life outside the country’s formal administrative digital ecosystem.
The Foundation of Digital Identity
For another mother, Olajumoke Oladejo, the registration process was entirely manual.
After giving birth, she visited a health centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, where officials recorded details about her family and newborn in a large paper register.
“We were asked some questions about the father and the mother, the name of the baby, the weight. Those answers were written down in a long book,” she says.
The only evidence of registration she received was a paper certificate.
“I had to laminate it myself.”
While the certificate serves as legal proof of birth, it remains disconnected from the broader digital systems Nigeria is seeking to build for identity management, service delivery and governance.
A child without a birth record may face later difficulties accessing healthcare, education, social protection programmes and eventually formal identification systems such as the National Identification Number (NIN).
Nigeria’s Digital Registration Ambition
Recognising identity as a cornerstone of Digital Public Infrastructure, the National Population Commission (NPC) has begun transitioning from paper-based registration to electronic civil registration.
In 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu launched the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (e-CRVS) system in partnership with UNICEF and other development partners.
The platform is designed to modernise birth registration by enabling real-time digital capture of records, improving data accuracy and strengthening integration with NIN, the country’s foundational identity managed by National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
The goal is to ensure every Nigerian child is assigned a legal identity from birth and is visible within the country’s digital governance ecosystem.
According to former NPC Director in Ondo State, Yemi Falusi, the transition is being implemented gradually.
“Most cases in Nigeria, you don’t just jump fully into it. You migrate gradually. The manual system is being phased out but not completely,” he explains.
He notes, for now, digital registration is primarily available for children under five years of age, while older age groups still rely on manual processes. Adults aged 18 and above require attestation-based verification.
“The current arrangement is that only children below five years can be registered online for now. Other age categories still have manual processes, while adults aged 18 and above require attestation,” he said.
Falusi adds that the attestation process have also been digitised, allowing applicants to access both online and physical services.
However, there he made an important clarification in implementation, the system is still largely controlled by NPC staff.
“All our staff, both in rural and urban areas, are capable of carrying out digital registration, and they are doing it presently,” he said.
“…access has not been given to the general public. Only NPC staff can carry out the registration. Where it is not possible due to network issues or other challenges, they revert to the manual process,” he explains.
Falusi notes that the commission intends to address operational challenges before opening the platform to the public.
“They are migrating gradually. Any problem they detect, they work around it, improve it, and later make it available to the public,” he says.
He stress that unrestricted public access could undermine the credibility of birth registration records.
“Birth registration is very important. In fact, it is one of the most important activities anyone can have. You don’t just give everyone access to register births on their own because there must be proper verification.”
For adults, supporting documents such as affidavits and primary school certificates can be used for verification. However, he says, for young children, verification must be done by oversight officials.
He identifies infrastructure challenges as key constraints to implementation.
“When you’re doing digital registration, you need digital materials. At the National Population Commission, we use Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Anyone carrying out the registration must have access to one,” he says.
He adds that the registration platform requires Android-enabled devices, as well as stable network connectivity, both of which may not be readily available to everyone.
Technology Meets Reality
Despite these advances, implementation challenges continue to undermine the promise of digital registration.
An ad-hoc NPC staff member involved in birth registration exercises describes recurring disruptions. “We register children from zero to five years,” the official says.
“Some people do not believe in birth certificates. Some women will tell you that they need their husband’s permission before answering questions. Others do not have NIN.”
However, technology-related challenges remain among the biggest barriers.
“Network issues are the major problem. When you try to upload information, it will take you back.”
For many families already facing transportation costs, work commitments and long waiting periods, repeated system failures often lead to abandonment of the registration process.
The Numbers Tell the Story
The consequences are reflected in national statistics.
Recent estimates indicate that only about 53 to 57 per cent of Nigerian children under five have their births registered, while certification rates remain significantly lower at around 30 per cent. The gap is more pronounced in rural communities, where access to registration centres, internet connectivity and digital literacy levels remain limited.
As a result, millions of children remain invisible within Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.
For a country pursuing digital transformation, this represents a critical gap in its Digital Public Infrastructure architecture.
Without complete birth registration data, governments struggle to accurately plan for schools, healthcare facilities, immunisation programmes and social services.
Linking Birth Registration to National Identity
To address these challenges, UNICEF and the NPC are strengthening integration between birth registration systems and the NIN system.
According to UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Denis Onoise, the e-birth registration platform is designed to automatically generate a NIN for every registered child.
“The advantages attached to e-birth or digital registration cannot be over-emphasised. Most importantly, this opportunity generates a NIN for the child, thus saving parents and the child from future stress.” Onoise says.
He adds that the initiative will provide the government with a more reliable database for planning and allocating resources.
“Digital birth registration will aid policymaking and help determine where facilities such as schools and health centres are most needed.”
The Human Cost of Being Invisible
Yet behind the statistics are families navigating a system still evolving.
Healthcare workers depend on birth records to monitor immunisation coverage. Social intervention programmes rely on accurate population data to identify beneficiaries. Education planners need reliable figures to determine future classroom needs.
When children remain unregistered, they risk being excluded from these essential services.
Frontline registration workers describe the daily realities of this gap.
“You have to convince people,” an ad-hoc NPC worker says. “Sometimes they just shout at you. They won’t even give you a good response.”
Falusi maintains that birth registration remains one of the most important services the government can provide.
“Birth registration is very important. In fact, it is one of the most important activities anyone can have.”
Bridging the Digital Divide
Authorities say efforts are underway to close the gap.
UNICEF-supported training programmes, expansion of mobile registration units, improved integration with health facilities, and plans to strengthen internet connectivity are all part of ongoing reforms.
The proposed modernisation of Nigeria’s e-CRVS legal framework is also expected to strengthen the country’s digital identity infrastructure.
Falusi revealed that efforts are ongoing to strengthen the system through capacity-building initiatives supported by UNICEF. “We are currently conducting a UNICEF-supported training programme. We started in Ondo State already to further improve digital birth registration,” he said.
But for mothers like Khadija, the promise of digital transformation remains distant.
After months of unsuccessful attempts to obtain her daughter’s digital certificate, she simply stopped trying. “I stopped calling. I stopped worrying myself about it,” she says quietly.
Her words capture the challenge facing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure agenda.
This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop.
