Funmi Ogundare in Lagos and Fidelis David in Ondo
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), yesterday warned that children without birth registration could face difficulties accessing education, healthcare and social protection, while the consequences could extend into adulthood, affecting their ability to vote and inherit property.
The Chief of Field Office, Lagos, Celine Lafoucriere, who made this known at a two-day media dialogue on birth registration organised by the National Population Commission (NPC) in collaboration with UNICEF, stressed that legal identity was a foundational right of every child and critical to accessing essential services throughout life.
According to her, birth registration provides the identity through which children can be recognised by government and included in planning and social protection programmes.
Lafoucriere disclosed that about 3.5 million children in Nigeria remained without birth registration, warning that their absence from official records could have serious implications for government planning, budgeting and the delivery of social protection interventions.
