Nigeria: Population Commission Frustrates Birth Registration By Charging Fees
Published: 26/Oct/2018
Source: Daily Trust (Abuja)
By Francis Arinze Iloani
The National Population Commission (NPC) is frustrating birth registration by charging applicants N4500 before issuing them birth certificates, Daily Trust’s investigation has shown.
The United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) factsheet on birth registration in Nigeria reveals that about 70 per cent of the 7 million children born annually in Nigeria are not being registered at birth.
A source within the commission told this paper in confidence that under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) the commission granted a private company the right to collect N3, 000 per birth registration on a sharing arrangement that favours the service provider more than commission.
The arrangement is contrary to the message posted on the official website of the commission that « birth certificate is absolutely free of charge » and that it is issued to children from age zero to eighteen years.
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