Abia State director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Regina Iroha, has said birth registration is key to social services such as education and healthcare among others in the country.
Iroha stated this yesterday at a press conference on the ongoing birth registration exercise in the state in Umuahia, describing birth registration as crucial for child development and future.
She said the exercise, which is for children aged 0-5, was in partnership with the National Population Commission and the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund and would last from August to November this year.
“Moreover, accurate birth registration is vital for national planning and development as it provides government with essential data to plan for education, healthcare, and other public services.
“During the drive, every child aged 0-5 years will receive a National Identification Number upon face capturing and birth registration. We are calling on all parents, guardians, and community leaders to take part in this crucial initiative,” she said.
Also speaking at the occasion, her counterpart at the commission, Juliana Ezebuiro, said child registration gives such child legal right as a Nigerian and visibility to the government.
Represented by the head of department, public affairs, Ikenna Nwachukwu, she added that the exercise is so much of national importance reasons, chief of all being identification.
“Registration of birth gives the government the needed room for proper economic planning, enhanced social security amendment, security arrangement, and provision of health facilities and services,” she said.
However, both Iroha and Ezebuiro, noted that the exercise has some challenges which include logistics, hard-to-reach-areas, inadequate personnel, aparty, and lack of understanding among others to address.
Religious leaders including, the former chairman of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Apostle Emmanuel Agomuo, and the chief Imam of the state, Shiek Ali Ukiwe assured that they will mobilise their members for the exercise.