With increasing demand for birth certificates in virtually all official documentations: in schools, public and private establishments, parents are now eager to ensure their children were issued with birth certificates by the National Population Commission (NPC).
Investigation carried out by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kwara and Kano states, showed that issuance of birth certificates is not seamless, but characterised by extortion and inadequate registration centres, especially in the rural areas.
It should be recalled that NPC, with the support of UNICEF (Nigeria), initiated the Birth Registration Programme (BRP) in 2012 to address the problem of low birth registration.
Implemented between 2012 and 2016, the programme was aimed at accelerating birth registration rates, particularly for under five children.
According to the report, birth registration rate was 41 per cent in 2011, indicating that three in every five children were not registered.
An Impact Evaluation report on the programme, released by UNICEF, revealed that although considerable progress was made since 2012, approximated 50 per cent child births remain unregistered.
The investigation carried out in Kwara, showed that many parents knew the importance of birth registration, but reluctant or out rightly failed to register the births because of bottlenecks or extortion.
Suliat Issah, a housewife in Omu-Aran, knew the importance of registering the birth of her children, but failed to do so for her youngest children who were twins, because she could not travel the long distance to the closest registration centre.
According to her, she paid N300 each for birth registration of her three children and N200 for immunisation of the third daughter.
For Mrs Ramat Musa, a birth certificate was not necessary as, according to her, she had the ‘live to birth’ certificates, which she obtained at the clinic where she had her children.
The trader explained that it cost her N3,000 to obtain each live to birth certificate for her children. Musa said she later learnt that the NPC was issuing birth certificates for N1,000 in Kwara, while she learnt that it was free in Oyo State.
“Spending N4,000 on birth certificates for four children was too much for me; we are okay with the one (live to birth certificate) issued to us by the hospital,” she said.
Speaking to our reporter at a clinic in Ilorin, where she brought her son for immunisation, Mrs Mariam Nasiru, said that she was not aware of the importance of birth registration and shocked when she was asked to pay N300 by the medical personnel for a birth certificate.
According to Nasiru, “I was asked to pay N200 for immunisation, now, they are asking for N300 for birth certificate. How will I transport myself home if I give them the whole money on me? I came here because in my area, the immunisation kit was not available, so I am pleading with them to allow me to pay for just the immunisation and go home.”
A NAN check showed that many parents are reluctant to collect the birth certificates issued by NPC because certificates are not prerequisite for admission into many schools.
Rather, prospective pupils are simply asked their ages and then offered admission.
Many parents who spoke to NAN, also complained of absence of birth registration centres close to their communities.
The NPC said it has 91 registration centres spread across the 16 local government areas of Kwara.
Mr Oba Ibrahim, NPC Deputy Chief Registrar in Kwara, who spoke, insisted that birth registration was absolutely free, adding that the commission would set up a surveillance team.
He assured that perpetrators if caught would be sanctioned.
Ibrahim said that the commission lacked the manpower to cover the entire health facilities in the state.
In Kano State, many mothers were discouraged from registering their children because of demands by NPC officials.
In all the centres visited by NAN correspondent, mothers were asked to pay between N200 and N500 for birth certificate.
Some mothers who spoke to NAN, alleged that birth registration, including child immunisation were not free.
In some of the hospitals visited, where NPC has its registration centres, including Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Imam Wali General Hospital, Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital and Nassarawa General Hospital, a birth certificate costs between N200 to N500.
It was only in Maternal and Child Centre, Middle Road, Sabongari, Fagge Local Government Area that registration was free.
Malam Sule Danjuma, a woodcarver, said that he paid N300 to register his child at Imam Wali General Hospital.
He said, “Our local chief advised me to register my son, being my first child. I wasn’t aware that my wife had done it earlier, so when I got home we found out we had the same thing.”
“When I presented the certificate my wife had earlier collected, the NPC officials said the document was not NPC certificate and I was left with no option than to go back home. Curiously, the certificates they gave to my wife and I were signed by the same person,” Danjuma noted.
He said that charges for birth certificates had discouraged many parents from registering the births of their children.
The NPC Commissioner in Kano State, Dr Suleiman Lawal, frowned at the alleged extortion by his staff.
He called on residents to report such cases to the commission for further investigation.
The commissioner explained that following complaints of allegations of extortion, officials of the state government and the NPC officials undertook a tour of the 44 local government areas.
He explained that the tour was to sensitise the people that birth registration is free and every child’s right.
He added, “I wish you can identify our staff that is doing this, so that we can take action right away.
“We will also investigate all these allegations; we will keep warning them to stay away from such a wicked act because if caught, they will be sanctioned.”
Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Kabir Ibrahim Getso, who spoke on the issue, said there was need for the NPC to collaborate with the Ministry of Education and to also fine-tune their collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
“The Ministry of Education can play an important role in advocating and facilitating birth registration and establishing links with registration authorities at various levels,’’ the commissioner said.
Prof. BolajiAdana, who spoke on low birth registration, said that extortion was not the only factor responsible.
Adana explained that the main constraints and challenges facing the process were also related to lack of financial resources and trained personnel.
He said that birth registration required an intensive, continuous follow up and long term commitment of the government.
According to him, it will take some time to develop a common understanding of the key functions of such a system and its importance.
Adana noted that “areas that need immediate attention include promotion of awareness, raising capacity, building of birth registration systems and increasing of coverage to reach the remote areas and even the children on the street.”
Certainly the scenario in Kwara and Kano states is the same all over the country. Stakeholders should collaborate and put measures in place to check sharp practices and boost sensitisation on importance of birth registration. (NANFEATURES)
