Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has commenced E-birth registration social mobilisation drive in Ebonyi State.
The agency said the mobilisation was in in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and National Population Commission(NPC).

Nwokpor Theopilus, the state NOA Director made this known to newsmen in Abakaliki Ebonyi State capital on Thursday.
He said the campaign will address low birth registration through implementation of a robust social mobilization in local government areas, communities, wards, hamlets and villages in the state.
He noted that lack awareness on the importance of such registration in the past, made people to shun birth registration exercise which according to him, increased the apathy of many on the need to register the births of their children.

Nwokpor said the situation has jeopardized the nation’s search for authentic date needed for social -economic planning in the country.
He noted that birth registration as a fundamental human right which help to ensure that children’s other rights are upheld and urged parents to present their children and wards for the exercise which would last for six months in the state.
“Without a birth certificate, children may be excluded from education as well as health and social services.
“Not only is birth registration a fundamental human right, it also helps to ensure that children’s other rights are upheld -like the rights to protect from violence, and essential social services like health care and justice.
“The information collected from birth registration records helps governments decide where and how to spend money and what areas to focus on for development programmes, such as education and immunization”, the Director stated. Ends
In their remarks the acting State Director NPC Mrs. Nwode Eche noted that It was the responsibility of NPC to provide data that will be used for national development So the E-birth registration Scaling up exercise should be taken seriously.
Mrs Eche urged stakeholders to take the information to the grassroots to enable parents present their children for registration.
On her part, Mrs Aja Nwachukwu who is the Deputy Director Public Affairs Department NPC urged the National Orientation Agency NOA to carry out the sensitization with local languages in the state pointing that the masses are hungry and are not ready to present their wards for the registration and take their pictures but NOA should pasude the parents especially the women to accept the registration for the interest of the state and national development.
“work with the traditional rulers, women groups, youth leaders so that they will give you access for their child to be registered”.