senate-pushes-for-electronic-integrated-civil-records-to-boost-national-planning

The Senate has advocated electronic and integrated civil records to boost national planning.

Chairman, Senate Committee on National Identity Card and National Population, Sen. Victor Umeh made this known at a public hearing organised by the committee in Abuja.

The hearing was on “A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Births, Deaths, (Compulsory Registration) Act Cap.B9 LFN 2004.

And to Enact the Compulsory Civil Registration 2025 to Provide for Electronic Civil Registration System; and for Other Related Matters, 2025 sponsored by Senator Victor Umeh.

In his address, Umeh noted that the world has moved towards digital and international civil registration systems urging Nigeria to tow the same path.

“If Nigeria must compete globally and plan effectively, we must transition from paper-based, inconsistent records to a fully electronic and integrated platform”.

The lawmaker said that the reform was critical to ensuring that every birth and every death in Nigeria was accurately recorded.

“It is the foundation for credible population data, effective national planning and transparent governance”

He said that the public hearing was designed to collect expert opinions, sectorial perspectives, and stakeholders recommendations to help finalise a law that reflects global best practices.

Umeh further said that Nigeria has operated for decades under an outdated civil registration framework that could not support modern development needs.

“We have relied on estimated projections and fragmented identity systems, challenging the accuracy of planning across education, health and national security”.

He said the bill sought to guarantee that every birth and death was recorded- regardless of location, socio-economic status, gender or faith.

“Enable real time, digital registration across the country including rural communities through mobile and electronic means.

“Strengthen the national identity architecture through synergy with
the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Population Commission (NPC), Immigration, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and health institutions”.

In his opening remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio said
accurate and comprehensive vital registration is “the very DNA of our sovereign State”.

“It is the tool that empowers the government to plan for the future, allocate resources effectively from schools and hospitals to infrastructure, and most importantly, provide a definite legal identity for every citizen”.

Akpabio was represented by
Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Peter Nwebonyi.

He said that the National Assembly was fully committed to providing a legislative environment that promoted data-driven governance and national security.

“A seamless, efficient, and reliable system of registering births, deaths, marriages and divorces is a non-negotiable prerequisite for a credible national identity card system, which is pivotal to our collective security, ” he said.

James Itodo, Edited By Grace Namiji