…Prep Media to boost participation
By Tunji Saliu
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, has called on the Nigerian Media in the South West and Edo States to help in sensitising residents on the importance of the E-Birth Registration that the Federal Government of Nigeria introduced.
The call was made at a two day capacity building for media workers, held in Lagos.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office Southwest, Celine Lafoucriere, who spoke virtually, charged participants to help in enlightening the populace about the importance of E-Birth Registration in the country.
She explained that the gains of the new order far outweighed those of the the old system which she said gave room for conflicting identities.
The UNICEF regional officer spoke about the gains of the new arrangement to include proper planning and easy data collation.
In his remarks, the UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Mr Denis Onuise, gave an overview of birth registration in Nigeria where he alluded to the various challenges confronting it.
In her Goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Pharmacist Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, who was represented at the occasion by a director in the Ministry, Mrs Olabisi Adeola, said that the state government was committed to the scheme.
She urged the participants to help in sensitising the people of their states on the gains of the E-Birth Registration.
In his lecture, the Director of the National Population Commission in Lagos State, Mr Bamidele Sadiku, said that the E-Birth Registration would aid National Planning and guarantee the identity of the Nigerian Child.
He encouraged the media to educate and mobilise parents for the E-Birth Registration of their children from age five and below.
Participants were drawn from Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo and Edo States.
