The recent observation by the Chairman of National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Eze Duruiheoma (SAN), decrying the low level of birth and death registration, should not be surprising, considering the challenges of proper planning faced by the different levels of government. Although he rightly pointed out that “an effective system of vital registration is critical in the life of any nation,” statistics about the national registration achievement is put at 30 per cent. This is dismal and unprogressive; and therefore calls for urgent attention.
That many people, especially those in the rural areas, are still not aware of civic registration exercises is revealing of the poor state of human development in a country, where many still view demographic surveys with suspicion. Moreover, that citizens are not sensitized enough to appreciate the import of birth and death registration to national planning exposes the absence of a necessary synergy that should exist among local governments, managers of demographic health surveys and the media.
Whatever might have prompted this submission, Nigeria does not seem to be alone in this state. According to factsheets of the World Health Organisation (WHO), two-thirds, that is about 38 million of the estimated 56 million annual deaths recorded globally are still not registered, while almost half of the world’s children go unregistered.
Even though birth and death registration is fundamental to social inclusion, many Nigerians seem averse to it because it could be used as a means of discriminating against some social groups. This may be especially true of ethnically polarized countries like Nigeria. And often, many citizens simply lack the requisite awareness of the registration processes and their import.
However, the advantages far outweigh the perceived challenges, for as the NPC boss stated: “Vital statistics provide government with information on measure, trend/patterns of fertility and mortality, data on education, health, social security, insurance, etc. All help in policy interventions to improve the quality and standard of life of the citizenry.”
Despite the benefits of civic registration to a well-run polity, it is saddening that in this age of rapid dissemination of, and seamless barriers to information, Nigeria still wobbles in the management of vital statistics. Apparently the first point of blame is the local government, for at the root of the management of these vital statistics is this third-tier of administration. By virtue of its proximity to the grassroots and to the lower units of society, the local government is the chief administrative authority of the primary government machinery. Amongst the major functions of the local government are management and delivery of quality services to the communities under its jurisdiction, policy-formulation for the smooth running of the local administration, law-making and enforcement for the peace of the communities, advocacy on behalf of their constituencies to high levels of government, as well as setting the overall direction of the local administration through long-term planning and monitoring.
Crucial to all these is the recording and keeping of vital statistics. Thus, the management of civic registration is the statutory function of the local government. To help local governments achieve these roles, the various institutions in the municipalities, namely, hospitals or clinic, cottage industries, faith-based organizations and community development associations must work in synchrony. With regards to birth and death registrations, clinics and hospitals, churches, mosques and other faith-based organisations should endeavour to furnish relevant returns to the local government.
Although some big hospitals and clinics have NPC officials who periodically manage the records of birth, the NPC should create structures that will enable them harvest these data beyond hospitals and clinics. For the sake of those to whom the cost of delivery is a challenge, the commission should liaise with appropriate stakeholders, including the media, to ensure adequate sensitisation.
Given the importance of their role to social development, population commission workers in the local government must be empowered by adequate exposure to the rubrics of community development and grassroots advocacy, and also be accorded the dignity their roles demand. On the other hand, though removed from the centre of national attention, the local government should not be seen merely as a drain-pipe or cash-cow of influential local politicians. Its role as the administrator of the grassroots demands frequent collaboration with the local NPC office and the media for realisation of its objective.
Consequently, if the NPC is to get it right with enlightenment about civic registration, it must of necessity ensure that collaborations with local government administrators and the media form an integral part of the duties of its personnel.
Besides, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) should also take interest in the data management at the local government level by devising structures of harvesting vital information.
