Incorrect that 70% of Nigerian children aren’t registered
Published: 2/Sep/2019
Source: Africa Check
When Nigeria’s uncertain population figures are discussed, a startling statistic is frequently mentioned – that seven in ten of the country’s children aren’t registered. In August 2019, Nigerian newspaper New Telegraph claimed that “about 70% of the children born annually in Nigeria are not registered at birth”. It attributed the statistic to the UN Children’s Fund(Unicef). In December 2018, an even more notable source – an official of the National Population Commission – reportedly said as much at a workshop in the north-eastern state of Bauchi. But is this striking statistic correct?