The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced full digital registration of births and deaths in Zamfara State through the VitalReg platform, as part of the nationwide rollout of the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system.

Announcing the development in Gusau, Tuesday, the Federal Commissioner for NPC in Zamfara state, Nasiru Muazu Magarya, said the transition took effect on July 1, 2026, and will now cover all 14 local government areas of the state.

He described the move as one of the most transformative reforms in the history of civil registration in Nigeria, adding that it aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. 

Magarya noted that Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions go unregistered. The NPC data cited at the briefing said birth registration coverage stands at about 57 percent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 percent.

“These gaps deprive many Nigerians of legal identity and limit the availability of reliable data needed for effective national planning,” he said.

He added that VitalReg has been designed for secure interoperability with institutions across Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem, including the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

“NPC said it has signed a partnership compact with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, NIMC, UNICEF, and Barnksforte Technologies Limited to decentralise and localise registration services at the community level,” he said. 

Magarya announced a review of fees for specialised administrative services such as record modifications, certificate reissuance, attestations and verification requests.