The National Population Commission says registration for birth and death certificates are offered free by the commission.
The Chairman of NPC, Chief Eze Duruiheoma, made this known in an
interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
Duruiheoma was reacting to allegations by some Nigerians that they
were being charged various sums from N2,000 upwards at the different
registration points established by the commission across the country.
“The commission does not charge for issuance of birth or death
certificates, but rather the private organisations engaged for the
job,’’ he explained.
According to him, the certificate is free for children from 0-days
to 17 years of birth, after which a N2,000 penalty is imposed on
defaulters who must also produce an affidavit from a law court.
Duruiheoma, however, explained that the commission had engaged the
technical services of the private sector under a
Public-Private-Partnership arrangement in order to remedy the challenge
faced by NPC in the vital registration process.
According to him, it is the responsibility of the commission to
register births and deaths, but there is difficulty in analysing the
register due to analogue way of processing information.
He explained that NPC got approval to engage Socket Works Ltd under
the PPP after consultation with necessary authorities including the
SGF.
Duruiheoma underscored the need for the partnership, saying that
the commission has been struggling over the years to switch from
analogue to automated ways of registering births and deaths.
“The commission has been struggling over the years to switch
from analogue to automated, but couldn’t do that due to lack of funds.
“Births and deaths are being registered by hand and the states
struggle to put the data together and even when they do, it is difficult
for us in the headquarters to analyse it,” he explained.
(NAN)