News Investigators/ The National Population Commission (NPC) says it registered no fewer than 268,201 births of children under the age of five in Adamawa State in 2024.
Its State Director, Fadimatu Halidu, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola on Friday.
She said out of the figures, 20,376 of the registrations were done manually, while 247,825 were done digitally under the birth registration drive, which exceeded the 208,188 target.
Mrs Halidu added that the commission has advanced from a manual to a digital platform to align with international standards.
She urged parents and the general public to embrace birth registration, stressing that it was crucial for the children and the country.
“By registering a child, he or she will be able to get a certificate and that certificate is an identity for them to know where they will belong to in future.
“The registration and the certificate are free of charge for them to get a legal identity and it will go a long way to help them when going to school.
“As well as in the area of employment and even going abroad, among other activities that require a birth certificate.
“Therefore, as parents or guardians, you should make sure that you register your children, if possible, within the first seven days of their birth,” she advised.
According to her, the commission registered 790 deaths in the state during the period reviewed.
Mrs Halidu urged the stakeholders to continue with the sensitisation in their respective communities for people to understand the significance of birth and death registration.
According to her, this will help governments at all levels in planning based on the number of people who exist and those coming in.
She added that the death certificate could also be useful in processing gratuities of those who died in service among other benefits.
NAN
