Large number of children have no identity in Nigeria – UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF has expressed concern over the increasing number of children without identification in Nigeria.

This, according to the charity, would have an impact on the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, one of which was to ensure legal identification for everyone by 2030, with a specific target of 16.9 under Goal 16.

Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF Field Office for South West Nigeria, stated this on Tuesday during a 2-day media dialogue held in Lagos to drive e-birth registration in Southwest.

The dialogue themed “Giving Every Child a Legal Identity” was organized by the Lagos State Ministry of Youth & Social Development, in collaboration with the National Population Commission, NPC and the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

Lafoucriere emphasised the need to grant every child the right to identification, stressing that without it, the child is invisible.

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The UNICEF Chief of Field noted that the E-registration is an opportunity to produce the statistics required for efficient planning, adding that the government cannot properly plan for children if it lacks adequate statistics.

In his remarks, the Lagos State Director of the National Population Commission, Sadiku Bamidele, maintained that eliminating the problems associated with duplicate registration and giving an identity to every child is the primary purpose of the registration.

Bamidele, however, harped on the need to create awareness of birth registration, and engage community structure, age groups, and governments, saying everyone should be involved so that things can be done properly.