The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed that 14 million children in Nigeria have had their births officially registered over the past two years, marking a significant achievement in child identity coverage and civil documentation, government and development sources said on Friday.

The announcement was made by the UNICEF Country Representative to Nigeria, Ms Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, during a courtesy visit to First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. Abdelatef described the progress as “impressive” and underscored birth registration as the first right of every child to be counted and recognised.

According to UNICEF, the surge in registrations reflects a combination of strengthened leadership support, ongoing digitisation of the registration system in health facilities at ward level and increased partnerships with national authorities to accelerate enrollment. Abdelatef said the figure stands out compared with progress achieved in other countries where she has served.

The First Lady welcomed the update, noting that birth registration helps give every child a legal identity that can open avenues to health services, education and social protection. She emphasised the need to maintain the momentum until every Nigerian newborn is counted and stressed that reliable data on children would support better planning and service delivery.

Officials said the government is also pursuing legislative support to further strengthen the civil registration framework, including bills before the National Assembly intended to improve the system’s reach and efficiency. Abdelatef expressed gratitude for the cooperation between UNICEF and Nigerian authorities and affirmed the agency’s commitment to advancing child wellbeing and rights across the country.