Headlines
Low awareness, platform charges slow E-birth registration drive in Kano
Zulaiha Danjuma
The National Population Commission (NPC) E-birth registration service was launched to allow Nigerians to register children at birth and receive a birth certificate online.
KANO FOCUS reports, with the support of UNICEF, this digital platform aims to provide a secure and accessible digital identity for every Nigerian child.
This is to enhance service delivery and establish a centralized identity data hub, accessible to healthcare, financial, and security agencies nationwide.
Since November 2024, over 933,859 digital birth registration have been recorded in Kano state, according to Alhaji Ismaila Al-Hassan Dogo, State Director of the NPC.
According to UNICEF, the digital birth registration platform has revolutionized the traditional registration process, doing away with tedious paper-based applications. This innovative platform has streamlined birth registration, eliminating double entries and ensuring a seamless, integrated experience.
The platform targets capturing all unregistered children in the 44 local government areas of Kano state and integrating them into the state’s database, NPC State Director, Al-Hassan Dogo said.
According to UNICEF, the new e-birth registration system would automatically generate and secure a National Identity Number (NIN) for every child registered.
UNICEF also said, registering children on the e-birth platform paves the way for a smoother future. With a digital birth certificate, kids can breeze through school enrollment, visa applications, and even international passport requests – setting them up for success from the very start.
So far, the NPC has said that Kano state has the highest number of e-birth registration in the entire country
But a recent visit to the Muhammadu Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital in Kano revealed a concerning lack of awareness about the National Population Commission’s (NPC) free E-birth registration for newborns among some new mothers.
Low Awareness about e-birth Platform
Many new mothers remain unaware of the e-birth platform and the services available to them.
Fatima Awwal Habib, a mother of four, expressed her surprise at learning about the service. “I have never heard of any such E-birth registration process for birth certificates,” she said.
Another mother, Safiya Ahmad, also confessed to being unaware of the digitalized birth registration process. “I am not aware of such,” she said, adding that the only birth certificate she had for her children was the one issued by the hospital.
New mothers Zainab Sale and Hafsat Isa were also surprised to learn about the free E-birth registration service. Ms. Zainab, who had just given birth to her son a week ago, said, “I am hearing this from you now, I don’t know if any birth certificate is supposed to be given to my son at the hospital, let alone me registering him for a national one through an online platform.”
Ms. Hafsat, while breastfeeding her few days old child, said, “I kept quiet earlier because this is very new information to me, I had never heard of a national free E-birth registration before today.”
But low digital literacy levels among many new mothers also poses a significant challenge to the e-birth service’s usability.
“A lot of people are not tech-savvy to use a website that requires a payment,” Bello Sani, a renowned Software Engineer and tech industry expert, who founded Tenet Technology, explained.
“Most people can go to a site to fill out forms and submit, but payment systems are still a struggle for a large number of the population. Many have to go to an internet center to be able to successfully access such service.”
This lack of awareness and limited literacy levels threaten to undermine the effectiveness of the NPC’s E-birth registration initiative. As Bello Sani noted, “This in itself will exclude people in rural areas completely, because issues of social and financial inclusion are still a problem.”
Processing fees
Accessing the digital platform and it’s services is supposed to be free for children under five years of age. But parents are required to enter a payment reference number when initiating the registration process.
The NPC’s public statement says registration is supposed to be free for children under five and costs N2,000 for those above five, the platform’s user interface tells a different story.
A closer examination of the e-birth portal reveals that a fee of ₦2,030 is actually charged for registering any child, regardless of age.
This glaring inconsistency raises questions whether the E-birth registration is truly free for Nigerian children under 5.
This is particularly concerning, as Nigerians who need this service the most, are those financially vulnerable and unable often to afford the fee.
“When the public have an impression that a government service is going to be free but it turns out to have a hidden charge it makes the public lose trust in the entire system” Bello said.
“This is a financial exclusion tactic in a way because the website is public and not a business website, which usually has its target audience, this is a government website.
The added charge makes it that people who can’t afford the service fee would not be able to use the service, hence are excluded” he added
As the NPC’s e-birth registration initiative holds great promise for Nigeria’s future, it’s imperative that the commission prioritizes widespread awareness and reviews the payment clause to ensure inclusivity. Collaboration with stakeholders is crucial to address these challenges and unlock the full potential of this game-changing initiative.
This story is produced under the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Fellowship of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and Co-Develop in partnership with Kano Focus online Newspaper.
Headlines
Abdulaziz unveils project inspection initiative, trains APC social media inflluencers at Arewa media summit
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Enlightenment, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, has unveiled a regional project inspection initiative aimed at showcasing key development projects in Northern Nigeria, while urging journalists and social media influencers to uphold ethical communication and combat misinformation.
Speaking on Monday at the maiden Arewa Media Summit in Kano, organised by his office, Abdulaziz said the gathering was conceived to strengthen dialogue between government, citizens and the media through accountability, responsibility and ethical communication.
He said effective governance depends on transparency, responsible civic engagement and a professional media that serves as a bridge between leaders and the people through factual and balanced reporting.
The presidential aide also cautioned social media influencers, who command large online audiences, to verify information before publication and avoid content capable of creating division, particularly as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
According to him, more than 100 All Progressives Congress (APC) social media communicators were trained ahead of the summit to enhance their capacity to communicate government policies, programmes and achievements effectively.
Abdulaziz also unveiled the Gani Ya Kori initiative, a regional project inspection tour designed to spotlight landmark projects executed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Northern state governors that have received limited public attention.
“The initiative will help ensure that citizens are adequately informed about development projects and government interventions across the region,” he said.
The summit also featured a keynote address by the Minister of Information and National Reorientation, Mohammed Idris, who urged journalists and social media influencers to deny bandits and terrorists the publicity they seek.
“The media has an indispensable role in denying violent extremists the publicity they seek while promoting unity, resilience and hope,” the minister said.
He stressed that democracy flourishes when government remains transparent, citizens participate responsibly and the media performs its constitutional role with professionalism, fairness and integrity.
Idris observed that while the digital revolution has transformed communication by making every smartphone a broadcasting platform, it has also accelerated the spread of fake news and disinformation capable of undermining national unity and public confidence.
Declaring the summit open, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf called on other states to emulate Kano’s Special Reporters Initiative, through which more than 150 young people have been deployed to ministries, departments, agencies and the state’s 44 local government areas to strengthen government communication and public enlightenment.
KANO FOCUS reports that the summit attracted journalists, broadcasters, filmmakers, digital content creators, academics, policymakers and communication professionals from across Northern Nigeria to deliberate on the theme, “Government, Citizens: Accountability, Responsibility and Ethical Media Practice.”
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government says it has executed 1,508 development projects worth more than N928 billion across the state’s 44 local government areas since Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf assumed office, with about 80 per cent of constituency projects awarded between 2023 and 2025 already completed.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Commissioner for Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Comrade Nura Iro Ma’aji Sumaila, disclosed this during an international press briefing on the administration’s infrastructure development programme.
According to Comrade Sumaila, the projects cover critical sectors including roads, urban renewal, education, healthcare, security and other social infrastructure.
He said 799 of the projects have been completed, while 709 are at various stages of execution. He added that the state is also implementing 619 constituency projects through members of the Kano State House of Assembly.
The commissioner noted that about 80 per cent of the constituency projects have been completed. However, he said some projects remain unfinished because of rising construction costs caused by inflation.
He said the government has submitted a request to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for an upward review of contract sums to enable contractors complete the affected projects.
Breakdown of projects
Comrade Sumaila said the administration spent over N169 billion on urban renewal projects, including road rehabilitation, drainage construction and other metropolitan infrastructure.
He said another N118 billion was committed to constructing five-kilometre roads in 38 local government areas to improve connectivity across the state.
According to him, the government also awarded contracts worth over N6.8 billion for the construction of Kano State Neighbourhood Watch security divisions in 36 local government areas.
He added that rural infrastructure projects covering education, healthcare and other social interventions across the 44 local government areas account for contracts valued at more than N397 billion, while other ongoing projects have a combined value of about N255 billion.
Commitment to transparency
The commissioner said the Ministry of Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation would continue to ensure compliance with due process and technical standards in the execution of government projects.
He said the ministry’s mandate includes monitoring projects to ensure value for money and prudent utilisation of public resources.
According to him, the administration’s investments in infrastructure are intended to improve mobility, strengthen security, expand access to education and healthcare, improve water supply and stimulate economic growth across the state.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State has emerged as the highest-ranked sub-national government in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for education spending, according to the latest Sub-National Education Spending Index developed by the University of Paris.
KANO FOCUS reports that the ranking places Kano State first among 209 first-level sub-national governments across 15 ECOWAS member countries, underscoring the state’s growing reputation for prioritising investment in education.
According to the published index, Kano topped the rankings with an overall S-WAESI score of 87.21, outperforming other leading regions, including Dakar and Saint-Louis in Senegal. Lagos State was the second Nigerian state on the list, ranking 16th overall.
The assessment evaluated states and regions using the S-WAESI (Sub-National Weighted Aggregate Education Spending Index) methodology, which measures government commitment to education through indicators such as actual education expenditure, spending per student, budget execution, education priority, transparency and evidence-based reporting.
The methodology assigns 35 points to actual education spending, 25 points to spending per student, 20 points to budget execution, 10 points to education priority and 10 points to transparency.
The report indicated that Kano excelled largely due to its strong actual education spending and budget execution, making it the best-performing sub-national government in the region.
The ranking covered states, regions, districts and municipalities across Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde.
Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) said the recognition reflects Kano State Government’s sustained investment in expanding access to education, improving school infrastructure and strengthening educational planning and budget implementation.
KANO FOCUS reports that the achievement is expected to further boost the state’s profile as a leader in education reform within West Africa and provide additional momentum for ongoing efforts to improve learning outcomes across the state.
The latest ranking comes amid renewed attention on education financing across ECOWAS, with experts increasingly emphasising transparent budgeting, efficient resource utilisation and sustained public investment as critical drivers of quality education.
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