A Child Right Activist, Comrade Ighorhiowhunu Aghogho, says the National Population Commission, NPC, is very correct for declaring as invalid, any birth certificate issued by Local Government and hospitals across Nigeria.
Aghogho spoke with Our Correspondent during a chat in Warri.
He noted that the NPC was empowered with the Birth/Death Compulsory Registration Act of 1992 to issue out tbirth certificates to citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Aghogho noted that there is no law that empowers the local government councils and hospitals to issue out birth certificates.
Aghogho pointed out that what the local government councils and hospitals had issued to their indigenes before now is, “Identification Certificates”.
He stressed that the identification certificates by the various Local Government Councils and hospitals in the Country is unlawful and fraudulent.
According to Aghogho,”Since there is a special law that created the NPC and that law states that the Birth/Death empowers the Local Government to issue both Birth/Death Certificates. That’s the law that NPC to do that.
“What the Local Government are doing is identification certificate and that does not amount to birth certificates. So, any Local Government doing that is unlawful.”
While pointing out that there is no law authorizing the hospitals to issue out birth certificates, Aghogho said,”The hospitals can only report issues of birth and death to the NPC. That’s why NPC send their staff to most of the hospitals and local government councils to be issuing birth certificates. “
Another human right activist, Comrade Israel Joe in his reaction said,”The National Populations Commission is right to invoke certain mandate of her act especially Part 2, Section 6 and Sub-section 1b which stated that the Commission shall establish and maintain a machinery for continuous and universal registration of births and deaths throughout the federation.”
Joe however said the Commission should understand the bottlenecks situation facing them.
He pointed out issues of the NPC being understaffed and lack of digitalization in their local government workforce etc.
Joe urged the NPC to fashion out ways with a view to partner the health sector so as to ensure easy registration of birth and death both from government, private and local native centers.
“With the growing population of the Nigeria populace, we cannot afford to be analogous in operation hereby constraining and truncating easy processes or difficult ones.
“The NPC must also kill corruption in their local and health centers before attempting to make the process cumbersome. The NCP should create a website where it could be easy to make registration and also kill the corruption within their ranks.
“We may be forced to take a legal action against the NCP if they attempt to increase the suffering of Nigerians.”