Headlines
Kano records highest number of digital birth registration in Nigeria – official
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The National Population Commission Director (NPC) said Kano state has registered 933,589 child birth under the newly introduced digital registration, the highest in Nigeria.
KANO FOCUS reports that the state Director, Alhaji Ismaila Al-Hassan Dogo, made this known on Friday in Kano, at a media dialogue on birth registration organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with National Orientation Agency (NOA).
Based on the road plan the UNICEF introduced, the body targeted about one million unregistered children in Kano, from zero to five years for the 44 local government areas of the State.
“The essence is that if we can get these children registered, they will be added to the database of Kano state population.
“Similarly, this exercise is being done in other 21 states of the country, noting that all the states that were targeted for this exercise in the 22 States
“Therefore, at the end of the exercise, all unregistered children would now be registered, thus taking care of backlog in the registration.”
“When you say census, you are counting people, which shouldered with registration of birth, it based on this the body would project the figure for the country, local government or the state.
“To enable the country know the population figure of the nation, to know the identity, where he or she belongs to, and failure for people not to have the certificate such a person does not recognised as a citizen of that very country, hence the need for a bonafide citizen to have a birth certificate.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that despite the birth registration uptake in Nigeria, it has been less than optimal, depriving Nigerian children the basic rights recognised by both the UN and the Nigerian Government.
According to UNICEF, if Nigeria must meet Social Development (SD) 16.9, it is imperative that concerted efforts are required to address all the outstanding barriers that have restricted universal birth registration in Nigeria.
This is just as the body added that millions of children, under 1 year of age either born within the communities or those accessing the formal health system to receive vaccines, are missing out on opportunities to be registered at health facilities.
Chief UNICEF field office Kano, Rahama Farah, noted that “If the births of eligible children are not registered, it deprives the Nigerian child a right to a formal identity. Legally speaking, that child becomes invisible and does not exist”.
Birth registration is therefore a significant right which the Nigerian government has covenanted to accord her children.
“Yet, Article 7 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), specifies that every child has a right to a name and nationality. Article 7 also prescribes that children must be registered when they are born and given a name which is officially recognized by the government.”
According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2021, only 54.6 per cent of the under five children births are registered in Kano State, compared to 57. 3 per cent at the national level.
In Katsina and Jigawa states, under-five birth Registration is as low as 23.6 percent in Jigawa, and 67 per cent, in Katsina state.
The MICS 2021 survey also found that 2 out of every 3 mothers and caregivers of children aged below five years, whose births were not registered, did not know how to register their children.
The MICS 2021 puts percentage of children under 5 whose births are registered as ranging from as high as 89 per cent for the richest wealth quintile, to as low as 33 per cent for the poorest wealth quintile.
He added that the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Population Prospects 2019, about 20,000 children are born every day in Nigeria, and that the 2023 projected population for children under 1 year is 7,465,417: and the children under 5 is 35,597,131.
To ensure that the birth of every child in Nigeria is registered, UNICEF is supporting the Government in strengthening coverage of birth registration during immunization services in health facilities, capturing children who are under one year of age as soon as they are born, during Maternal and New-born Child Health Weeks (MNCHWs), and through Supplemental Immunization Activities, using digitalized processes.
The National Population Commission (NPC) is the Nigerian agency assigned the statutory responsibility of documenting vital statistics which includes registering births of children in Nigeria, and only birth certificates issued by the NPC are recognized by law.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Nafisah Yusuf Hassan, a magistrate in Kano State, has been recommended for appointment as a judge of the Kano State High Court by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
KANO FOCUS reports that Hassan is among four judicial officers from Kano State recommended for elevation to the High Court bench out of 28 candidates selected nationwide.
The other nominees are Halima Yahuza Ahmad, Abdullahi Abdulsalam Bature and Musa Ibrahim Umar.
The NJC disclosed the recommendations in a statement issued by its Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, following its consideration of candidates for judicial appointments across the country.
The council said all recommended candidates were expected to be sworn in by their respective state governors without delay.
Hassan’s recommendation follows her years of service in the Kano State judiciary, where she has reportedly distinguished herself through diligence, professionalism and careful handling of cases.
She has been commended for her commitment to judicial ethics, diligence and fairness in the discharge of her responsibilities, achievements that contributed to her career progression within the judiciary.
Her elevation is part of a broader development in the Kano State judiciary, with four magistrates from the state successfully scaling the selection process for appointment to the High Court.
The four nominees were reportedly assessed during the selection exercise and demonstrated strong professional competence, while their service records were found to be free of adverse remarks.
Their recommendation marks a significant step in their judicial careers and is expected to strengthen the judicial workforce in Kano State upon their formal appointment.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) says it has tracked nearly 1,000 education projects across the state as part of efforts to promote transparency, accountability and effective service delivery in the education sector.
KANO FOCUS the coalition’s Co-Chair, Dr Auwalu Halilu, disclosed this on Wednesday during an advocacy visit to the Kano State Ministry of Public Procurement and Project Monitoring.
Dr Halilu said K-SAFE had monitored projects in more than six local government areas, covering interventions implemented by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Kano State Senior Secondary Education Management Board and Local Education Authorities (LEAs).
He explained that the monitoring exercise involved physical inspections and documentation of projects through photographs, videos and geographical locations.
According to him, reports of the findings had been submitted to relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), highlighting projects that met required standards and those requiring further attention.
He cited Rimin Gado Local Government Area, where the coalition tracked more than 80 education projects, adding that it planned to extend the exercise to all 44 local government areas of the state.
The K-SAFE Co-Chair said the visit was aimed at presenting the coalition’s activities to the ministry and exploring areas of collaboration in procurement and project monitoring.
He called for the inclusion of civil society organisations in procurement and monitoring processes, particularly tender board activities and field inspections, to strengthen independent oversight and provide them with firsthand information on government projects.
Dr Halilu also requested the ministry’s support in organising capacity-building programmes for civil society organisations on procurement procedures, due process, project standardisation, monitoring and evaluation.
He said such training would enhance civil society organisations’ understanding of procurement regulations and the technical requirements guiding project implementation.
Responding, the Commissioner for Public Procurement and Project Monitoring, Dr Nura Iro Ma’aji, welcomed the delegation and acknowledged the coalition’s contributions to supporting the state government’s efforts in the education sector.
He expressed the ministry’s readiness to collaborate with K-SAFE through information sharing and other relevant engagements to strengthen accountability and ensure compliance with due process.
“From our side, we are ready to work together because we know what they have been doing to support Kano State Government in the education sector,” he said.
Dr Halilu further disclosed that the coalition and its partner organisations had carried out the monitoring exercise without financial sponsorship, describing it as a demonstration of their commitment to transparency and accountability.
He reaffirmed K-SAFE’s commitment to sustaining engagement with relevant government agencies, civil society organisations and the media to strengthen oversight of education projects across Kano State.
Ibrahim Khalil
Government Secondary School (GSS) Army Day Bukavu has emerged champion in both the male and female categories of the maiden Kano State Secondary Schools Tug of War Competition.
KANO FOCUS reports that the school clinched the double victory at the competition, which ended on Wednesday at the Kano Pillars Stadium, Sabon Gari, Kano.
Governors College finished as runners-up in the male category, while Government Girls College (GGC) Kano secured second position in the female category.
The competition was organised by the Kano State Tug of War Association in collaboration with the state Ministry of Education, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Kano State Sports Commission.
The maiden championship brought together secondary school students to promote teamwork, discipline, unity and sportsmanship, while raising awareness about the dangers of drug abuse.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Vice Chairman of the Kano State Tug of War Association, Jamilu Uba Adamu, described the competition as a successful initiative that had achieved its objectives.
He commended the Ministry of Education, Sports Commission, NDLEA, Gongoni Company Limited and MAGZO Pharmaceutical for supporting the event, particularly through the provision of T-shirts and Pocari Sweat drinks.
Also speaking, the Secretary of the Kano State Tug of War Association, Bashir Muhammad Sulaiman, who represented the Executive Chairman of the Sports Commission, Muhammad Tukur Babangida, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to developing grassroots and school sports.
He said the initiative would help identify and nurture young sporting talents across the state.
The closing ceremony was attended by a member of the Kano State Football Association Board, Rilwanu Idris Malikawa Garu, representatives of the Ministry of Education, NDLEA, the Sports Commission and other stakeholders in the sports sector.
The organisers congratulated the winning schools and commended all participating institutions and partners for contributing to the success of the maiden edition.
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