By Olufemi Adebayo
National Population Commission (NPC) says it is targeting no fewer than 156,230 children across the 16 Local Government Areas of Ekiti State for the digital birth registration (DBR) exercise.
The state director of NPC, Dr Olufunbi Olowookere stated this while addressing newsmen during a joint briefing organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in collaboration with the United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF) which was attended by critical stakeholders in the state.
According to Olowookere, the DBR drive which is expected to last for two months would focus on children between 0-5 years old and enable authorities to have the digital base of the children for effective national planning and development.
She added that no fewer than 779 ad-hoc volunteers have been trained and deployed to the field, urging stakeholders, especially parents to support the exercise so as for children to have the needed legal identity in the country.
She said, “ By leveraging technology, we can enhance the birth registration process , making it more efficient , accurate and accessible. The digital drive aligns with our commitment to harness innovation for improved service delivery and better outcomes for the citizens.
“It is expected that all children under five years old will be registered and given birth certificates. It marks a significant milestone in our journey towards ensuring every child’s right to identity , protection , health , education, and social security.
“ I strongly encourage all parents, guardians and stakeholders to take advantage of this opportunity and register their children. Together we can ensure a brighter future for our nation’s most valuable resources,our children.”
Speaking, the state director of NOA, Akin Adeyemi while commending UNICEF for the collaboration, reiterated the commitment of the agency to mobilize the citizens through its advocacy for the success of the scheme.
Adeyemi, who harped on the importance of the accurate digital database for development, added that the exercise would in no small measure enable the government to plan and budget education, healthcare and other services for the children.
The representative of NIMC, Ibrahim Olutayo said the commission would ensure that children are captured in the nation’s digital database for effective national planning.
The Ejemua of Ado-Ekiti, Chief Samuel Olarewaju who represented Ewi of Ado, said the community would offer all necessary support for the agencies towards the successful digital birth registration of children for overall development.