Yola South LG to compel presentation of birth cert before school enrollment
Yola South local government of Adamawa State will soon demand presentation of birth certificate before enrolling pupils into nursery and primary schools.
The disclosure was made during a nationwide birth registration, advocacy and social mobilization drive in Yola South local government organized by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in conjunction with National Population Commission, (NPC) National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) supported by UNICEF on Monday.
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Speaking during the high-powered meeting attended by officials of the NOA, NIMC, NPC, Civil Society Organizations, (CSOs), religious and traditional leadership, Education Secretary of Yola South Local Government, Abba Yerima Bawuro said the move is expected to shore up birth registration in the local government.
Represented by the Director mobilization, Mohammed Adamu during the advocacy meeting, the executive secretary said to ensure the success of the new drive, a meeting with 82 head teachers was convened where it was agreed that before school enrollment into nursery and primary schools, parents must produce the birth certificates of their wards.
While stressing the importance of the birth certificate, the executive secretary said the head teachers were directed to take the messages back to parents in their respective schools to ensure compliance.
Also speaking, the Director General of NOA, Malam Lanre Issa Onilu said the relevance of birth registration can not be overemphasized considering the importance of data in national planning.
Onilu who was represented by the Director of special duties and state affairs, Mr. David Okoji said the government will find it difficult to plan well for the populace in the absence of reliable demographic data.
“Government will find it difficult to plan how to address the welfare of the citizens especially in providing social services for the populace in the absence of data. We need to contribute our quota by discharging this very important responsibility.
“Getting the birth registration and obtaining National Identification Number (NIN) will make it easier for the children to obtain a number of social services with ease in the future. It is better to get them now,” Okoji said.
Also speaking, Fatima Aliyu and Adamu Sulaiman Abbo, representatives of NIMC and NPC respectively stressed the importance of the registration urging parents to embrace it for the good of their children.
They noted that birth registration for children between the ages of 0 – 17 is free calling on parents to take advantage to register their children before it is late as birth registration attracts a lot of expenditure after the age of 17.
In his speech, the chairman of Yola South local government, Salihu Usman Malkohi indicated the willingness of his administration to ensure the success of the birth registration in his local government.
The chairman who was represented by the supervisory councillor of education, Hon. Mukhtar Mohammed Umar thanked NOA and development partners for their relentless drive to ensure the success of the exercise.
In his speech, the state director of NOA in Adamawa, Johnah Agye also charged parents to take advantage of the free birth registration to ensure that their children are captured just as he enjoined them to get NIN for the children.
He noted that the house to house registration of birth which kick-started in August will last till November when it will stop, charging parents to ensure that they drive maximum benefit from the exercise.
Also speaking for their organizations, representatives of the CSOs, traditional, religious institutions, women and youth groups all promised to escalate the message to their various members and communities for a better response.
