The National Population Commission (NPC) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) have appealed to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III and his Council to help sensitize parents in the state on the essence of birth registration.
Speaking to the Council in the Sultan’s palace, Mr Pius Uwamanua, UNICEF Sokoto Field Office Child Protection Specialist, noted that aside giving children legal Identity, birth registration also enables government to plan for their security, education and welfare.
Sokoto UNICEF Field Office covers Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
Uwamanua said, “Birth registration enters into the directory of the nation hence making the child a bonifide citizen of such country”‘.
Stressing that an unregistered child could be seen as a child that does not exist, Uwamanua further noted that registering a child helps government to make projections for each state.
He also stated that they were in the Sultanate palace to solicit for support of all traditional leaders in Sokoto on the importance of birth registration, saying that the percentage in Sokoto is low because most parents do not know the advantages of doing so.
Talking on some of the identified gaps that were responsible for the low birth registration in Sokoto, Uwamanua listed inadequate manpower as a major factor.
He said, ” We have noticed that there is actually less manpower providing these services, which is why we are imploring the traditional leaders to help the National Population Commission (NPC) in providing routine birth registration from their respective domains”.
Speaking earlier, the Sokoto State Director of National Population Commission, Malami Marafan Gagi, said they are in the Sultan’s palace to inform the traditional council that Sokoto is experiencing backwardness in birth registration.
Malami further stated that plans have been completed to commence digital birth registration in Sokoto State.
Moderating the meeting, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General, Nigeria Supreme Coucil for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, wondered why more girls are being registered than boys in the state as captured by the available data.
On his part, the Sarkin Yaman Katami, Malam Garba, said controllers of the NPC are to be blamed for low birth registration in Sokoto as they are rarely seen in the local governments.
He however assured that with the sensitization, they as traditional leaders, being the closest to the locals, will henceforth champion the cause of birth registration in their respective domains.
