UNICEF Warns Unregistered Nigerian Children Face Service Gaps

UNICEF has warned that millions of Nigerian children without birth registration could struggle to access essential public services and social protection.

Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, raised the concern during a two-day media dialogue organised by the National Population Commission (NPC) with UNICEF.

She described birth registration as a fundamental right and said legal identity helps children access education, healthcare, social protection and other vital services.

The consequences can continue into adulthood. People without legal identity may face difficulties exercising rights linked to voting, inheritance and other civic and social entitlements.

“Birth registration, civil registration is the child’s identity and it is the foundational right of every child’s rights. Without that right, nothing else can happen. If your child doesn’t have an identity, he does not exist. He or she does not exist on the social register,” she said.

Lafoucriere also highlighted the importance of registration for government planning. Unregistered children can remain absent from official databases and social protection systems, making it harder for authorities to estimate populations and budget for their needs.

She said many parents do not know where or how to register their children and urged journalists to help close the information gap, particularly among vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities.

The Lagos State Director of the NPC, Abiola Kekere-Ekun, also called for greater media support to raise awareness and strengthen the commission’s birth registration campaign. She said parents and caregivers need clearer information about its importance and where they can access the service.

UNICEF Child Protection Specialist Dennis Onoise identified weak laws, limited registration facilities, poor data systems and low community awareness as major obstacles. He called for legal reforms, digital registration, decentralisation and stronger community mobilisation.

Onoise also urged closer cooperation between the NPC and primary healthcare centres, which regularly interact with families during pregnancy, childbirth and early childhood.

UNICEF Communication Officer Blessing Ejiofor said the dialogue would focus on children under one year, giving journalists data, statistics and expert insights to strengthen reporting on birth registration.

How can communities, healthcare providers and the media work together to ensure every Nigerian child receives a legal identity?