The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with Lagos state government has trained 65 journalists, including Blueprint reporter on e-birth registration and awareness drive.
The chief head of UNICEF field office for South West Nigeria, Celine Lafoucriere, in her remark Wednesday described journalists as crucial partners in support of the agency’s mission to ensure that every child in Nigeria is given the right to legal identity.
She stated this during a 2-Day Media Dialogue for E-birth registration in South West, including Edo state. The event was held in Lekki Ipeju, Lagos state.
Sahe said: “Your platforms are critical for raising awareness with us for educating the public and holding stakeholders accountable to taking care of those children, making sure they have a legal identity and access to basic services.”
The chief head noted that, “Without child registration, the children remain invisible to our governments, making it a very big challenge to plan adequately for the children’s rights.
“So, your discussions and the field work will be centered around that transformative potential of E-birth registration. E-birth registration is a formidable opportunity.”
Lafoucriere added that accurate and timely data from birth registrations would allow the agency to monitor the progress that are collectively made across several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
She said the SDGs include elimination of poverty and hunger to promote quality education and reduce inequities, adding that journalists roles are “crucial and cannot be overstated.”
On his part, the National Population Commission (NPC) director in Lagos state, Mr. Bamidele Sadiku, said e-birth registration platform would provide better lives for Nigerians and prevent double birth and death registrations in the country.