The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the full digital registration of births and deaths across Kwara State under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system, aimed at strengthening legal identity, improving demographic data and enhancing public service delivery.

The Federal Commissioner representing Kwara State at the NPC, Yahaya Alada, announced the rollout in Ilorin on Wednesday, stating that the VitalReg platform became fully operational across the state's 16 local government areas on July 1, 2026.

Alada, who was sworn into office by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on June 29, described the initiative as a major milestone in modernising civil registration in the state. He noted that the development follows the national launch of the E-CRVS system by President Tinubu on November 8, 2023.

He said the digital platform reflects the commission's commitment to leveraging technology to improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure every birth and death in the state is accurately documented.

According to him, civil registration goes beyond administrative documentation, serving as a critical tool for effective planning, governance and resource allocation.

Alada expressed concern that many births and deaths in Kwara remain unregistered, denying affected residents legal identity and limiting the availability of reliable demographic data for development planning.

To address the challenge, he disclosed that the commission has established 92 functional registration centres across the state's 16 local government areas and is working to expand the network.

He added that the NPC is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to strengthen the capacity of registration personnel and ensure that all vital events are promptly captured through the VitalReg platform.

The commissioner highlighted the benefits of the new system, including faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, reduced paperwork and waiting time, improved data accuracy through automated validation, and a more secure civil registration database.

He also explained that the platform is designed to integrate seamlessly with other government digital identity systems to improve efficiency and service delivery.

Alada further announced a partnership involving the NPC, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to strengthen birth registration at the grassroots.

According to him, the collaboration will decentralise registration services, improve accessibility, enhance operational efficiency and promote greater community participation in the civil registration process.

He noted that while the commission has reviewed charges for specialised administrative services such as record modifications, certificate reissuance, attestations and verification requests, birth registration and birth notification services remain highly subsidised to support universal registration.

The commissioner called on residents, traditional and religious leaders, healthcare institutions, civil society organisations and local government councils to support the initiative by ensuring that all births and deaths are registered promptly.

He also appealed to local government councils to provide office accommodation and logistical support to strengthen the commission's operations across the state.