Securing Bauchi’s Future
The recent house-to-house registration exercise carried out by the Bauchi State Government through the National Population Commission and the United Nations Children's Education Fund was hitch-free, writes Segun Awofadeji
Aname and nationality is every child’s right, enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international treaties. In spite of these treaties and efforts by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across the world, the births of nearly one fourth of children under the age of five worldwide have never been recorded. And this lack of formal recognition by the state usually means that a child is unable to obtain a birth certificate. As a result, he or she may be denied healthcare or education. Registering children at birth is the first step in securing their recognition before the law, safeguarding their rights, and ensuring that any violation of these rights does not go unnoticed.
Taking into cognisance the failure of governments to prioritise registration of children at birth, as well as the UNICEF survey which shows Bauchi State as among states in the North-east that had the highest number of children not registered at birth (an estimated 600,000 children were unregistered at birth), Bauchi State Government, through the National Population Commission (NPC), and in collaboration with UNICEF, recently embarked on massive house-to-house registration campaign exercise between 6th to 16th July across the 20 local government areas of the state, to improve birth registration coverage.
With funding support provided by the European Union (EU) integrating birth registration with the healthcare delivery system is the practical approach in which UNICEF, the NPC, the state Ministry of Health and the State Primary Health Care Development Agency ( BPHCDA) are collaborating to ensure increased birth registration coverage is attained and sustained in the state.
Flagging off the ceremony, Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abubakar, assured that all primary healthcare facilities and government hospitals in the state will have a desk officer dedicated to registration of birth.
He also added that all relevant state government agencies and departments are to key into the initiative of UNICEF Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) project to ensure that henceforth all births in the state are registered and appropriate certificate issued.
He therefore called on all parents, caregivers, traditional and religious leaders, as well as opinion leaders to cooperate with the registrars that will go from house-to-house in the next 10 days to register all children under five years.
Speaking in a welcome address at the flag off ceremony, the NPC Federal Commis- sioner, Alhaji Hassan Bashir, said that the essence of the campaign was to address the low level of birth registration of children between zero to five years in the state.
"The figure is least in the North-east region standing at about 25 per cent of expected number. Such intervention has taken place in two other states (Adamawa and Kebbi States) and since then, the level of registration in those states have really boosted to about 70 per cent.
He said that the exercise will also help in providing an accurate data for proper policies planning by the state and federal governments in the areas of health, education and provision of social amenities.
The NPC federal commissioner therefore commended Bauchi State Government for providing office accommodation for the commission to carry out the exercise.
In his address, the Head of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Abdulai Kai-Kai, said that the exercise, which is being funded by the European Union, is a collaborative effort involving UNICEF, the National Population Commission, the Bauchi State Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Care Development Agency.
He added that the exercise is a practical approach to ensure increase in birth registration coverage in the state.
"As of January 2014, about 1,292 health workers in various health facilities across Bauchi State have been trained on birth registration process so that they can support conduct of birth registration efforts in the various health facilities in the state.
“However, in spite of the support garnered so far and foundation strengthening efforts, the National Population Commission in Bauchi State needs a lot of intensive effort to register thousands of children being missed, both at the health facilities and in marginalised, hard-to-reach rural and very rural communities,” he said.
THISDAY checks revealed that as part of efforts to ensure a successful birth registration exercise in the state, in January 2014 to be precise, about 1,292 health workers in various health facilities across the state were trained on birth registration process so that they can support conduct of birth registration efforts in the various health facilities in the state.
Other integration efforts included the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NPC and the state’s Universal Basic Education Board (BSUBEB) on June 20, 2016 to build partnership for integrating birth registration services into educational service delivery in the state.
There was also integration of birth registration services into Nutrition/CMAM programmes and that of the WASHCOMS in focus local government areas, with several meetings and engagements had with health actors and traditional institutions just as birth registration services were also consistently provided during the MNCH weeks/rounds in the state.
Shortly after the flag off of the exercise, about 10 journalists were dispatched to the 20 local government areas that make up the state to give effective coverage and assessment to the house-to-house birth registration of under-five children, and the exercise was not only successful but rewarding.
THISDAY monitored the exercise in Darazo and Bogoro Local Government Areas. It observed that the under-five registration campaign recorded tremendous acceptability and success.
In Darazo for instance, the Acting Chairman, Darazo Local Government Council in Bauchi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar, described the exercise "smooth and
Registering children at birth is the first step in securing their recognition before the law, safeguarding their rights, and ensuring that any violation of these rights does not go unnoticed