FG Introduces Electronic Civil Registration & Vital Statistics System

Nigeria has established the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (e-CRVS) in an effort to improve the country’s civil registration and statistics system.

It was introduced together with the National Geospatial Data Repository as part of the government’s attempts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of legal identification for all.

President Bola Tinubu described eCRVS as the fundamental building element of an identity ecosystem at the launch.

He highlighted that this will become a critical source of identifying data for federal agencies and security forces in the West African country.

According to him, the system is poised to increase federal agencies’ ability to generate essential statistics on key demographic events and migration, allowing the government to establish well-tailored, effective, and efficient policies capable of satisfying the specific needs of Nigerians.

Tinubu stated further that the current endeavour to reposition the registration system would lay the groundwork for full achievement of the 2030 SDG targets for real-time identity management and population statistics.

“Our population remains the greatest asset of the nation in the development process,” he said.

The e-CRVS will be important to the next census. The dates have not been disclosed, although the exercise was postponed earlier this year when the previous administration requested extra time.The most recent census was conducted in 2006.

Tinubu said the National Population Commission has made significant progress towards completing the first digital population and housing census, adding “It is my hope that the result of the census will provide the nation with much-needed data for development planning and the enthronement of good governance,” he went on to say.

The newly formed CRVS National Coordination Committee is in charge of directing the e-CRVS system.

Cristian Munduate, the United Nations Children’s Fund’s representative in Nigeria, commended the developments.

Munduate added “In Nigeria, digitising civil registration goes beyond technology. It’s a promise to future generations.

“Now, every child’s existence will be acknowledged, marking a new era where every significant life event informs our nation’s development.”