Nigeria has recorded 14 million birth registrations within the past two years, marking a significant expansion in child identity coverage nationwide, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The milestone was disclosed on Friday, February 20, 2026, in Abuja during a meeting at the State House Abuja, where UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative Wafaa Abdelatef briefed First Lady Oluremi Tinubu on ongoing child protection initiatives.
Abdelatef described birth registration as a fundamental right and the foundation of legal identity, stressing that being counted is the first step toward securing access to healthcare, education, and social protection.
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She attributed the surge in registrations to strengthened collaboration between federal and state authorities, the expansion of digital registration systems across health facilities, and legislative backing from the National Assembly aimed at improving civil registration processes.
The First Lady welcomed the progress, noting that accurate birth registration not only safeguards children’s rights but also strengthens national planning by providing reliable population data, particularly in the absence of recent census figures.
Despite the gains, stakeholders acknowledged that millions of children remain unregistered, especially in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
UNICEF reaffirmed its commitment to working with government partners to achieve universal birth registration and ensure that every Nigerian child is legally recognized.