By Abel Johngold Orheruata
Poised to ensure the proper identity of children, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Oshimili South Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State, in partnership with the Council Chairman, Hon. Kelvin Obi Ezenyili, PhD flagged-off the ongoing Free Electronic Birth Registration drive for Children between 0-5 Years in all communities in the Council area sensitization.
The sensitization flag off took place at the Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu Hall, in Oshimili South Local Government Secretariat today, Monday, 9th September, 2024.
Our Reporter discovered that the e-birth registration which was conceptualised about two years ago, with the plan to ensure every child in Nigeria has a legal identity, is being sponsored by UNICEF and the Free Birth Certificate comes with a National Identification Number (NIN) for the Child, and the child will not have to go through any rigorous process in future for NIN Registration. NPC has an interoperability with NIMC.
Trained E-Birth Registration Registrar’s which were recruited from every ward in Oshimili South will be available in every Government Primary Health Care facility and Town Halls. While some will move from house to house to register the children.
Speaking at the program, the Oshimili South Council Chairmen, who was represented by his Vice, Hon. Chief Chinye Hobobo-Uso, said birth registration is a fundamental human right, and without legal identity, a child remains unavailable, invisible to Government records. Adding that “A registered child has acknowledged rights to protection and also to healthcare, education and other critical services. Without child registration, these children remain invisible to governments, making it difficult to plan adequately for them”.
The Chairman noted that the e-birth registration will generate vital statistics that are necessary for effective planning and implementation of policy and budgeting. Pointing that “If the government does not know how many children it has to budget for, it cannot do it efficiently”.
Hon. Dr. Kelvin Obi Ezenyili, who commended the idea of e-birth registration, asserted that the outcome will go a long way in contributing to the Council’s growth by putting in place the necessary space for children to have a good beginning in life. “A good beginning entails giving every child a legal identity”.
Earlier, as a prelude to the sensitization flag off, the Chief Orientation and Mobilization Officer (COMO) of NOA in Oshimili South LGA, Deaconess Christy Kunu (Mrs), explained that the right of every child to birth registration is enshrined in various international instruments such as the UN CRC (articles 7 & 8) & African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (article 6) and the Nigeria Child Rights Act (2003) (article 5(2)).
Deaconess Kunu explained that the e-birth registration was designed to close the gaps as well as ensure that every child counts.
According to her “National Population Commission (NPC) want to make birth registration faster, hence, the reason they are going digital.
Mrs. Kunu disclosed that “The plan is to flag off the e-birth registration exercise sensitization, and those Adhoc staff who are trained will go into communities, go into the Wards, and start to register children”.
The NOA Boss in Oshimili South maintained that the registration would be done from house to house to ensure that every child is captured and urged parents and guardians to secure the future of their children by registering them.
Other stakeholders in attendance include faith based organizations led by Pastor Victor Ahonsi, General Overseer of Living Grace Evangelical Mission (LIGEM), Asaba, Hon. Chief Chinye Hobobo-Uso women’s support group, medical personnel led by Dr. Oby Idigbe, Nursing mothers, Heads of Departments in the Council Secretariat, Wards representatives, opinion leaders amongst others.