By Raji Rasak
Badagry (Lagos State) – The National Population Commission (NPC) on Tuesday said that it recorded 59,159 births and 354 deaths in Badagry, Lagos State, between 2017 and 2019.
A Deputy Director with the Commission, Mrs Tonia Kalu, also told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry on Tuesday that 17,645 births were recorded in 2017, 20,650 in 2018 and 20,864 in 2019 respectively.
“We also issued out 8,900 certificates for male and 8,745 female children born in 2017 making 17,645 altogether.
“In 2018, we issued 20,650 birth certificates for 10,112 male and 10,538 female children.
“In 2019; we had 20,864 registered which comprised of 10,400 male and 10,464 female children.
“The total certificates received within those years were 59,159.
“However, there are cases of children who either lost their certificates or did not collect their birth certificates when they were born due to one thing or the other.’’
Kalu said that the office was authorised to issue birth certificates to children from zero to 17 years old.
She said that birth registration was compulsory, free, continuous, permanent and universal and urged parents to ensure they register their children.
On death certificate, the deputy director said that the commission recorded 104 deaths in 2017; 121 in 2018 and 129 in 2019.
She said that the office issued 354 death certificates in three years.
Kanu advised the residents of the state and Badagry in particular to always register the deceased ones, describing the figure recorded for death certificates for the period under review as nothing to write home about.
She said that getting a death certificate is, equally, as important as getting a birth certificate.
She said that the death certificate would enable the relatives of the deceased access the benefits that were suppose to accrue to the deceased.
“People in Badagry don’t come for registration of death; but it is important to register death because this will help us to know the type of disease that kills the person.
“Also for mothers that had stillborn or lost their children between the ages of one and 10 to death, they always believe that there is no need to register such since the child was no more alive.
“Meanwhile, we want to find out the cause of their death to know if it was caused by sickness and what type of sickness.’’
She said that she had personally gone round the city to sensitise the residents on the importance of obtaining death certificates for their dead but they don’t care since they believed the dead is gone for life.
She specially appealed to the Muslim faithful in the town to always obtain death certificates for their deceased ones.
“I have discovered that when their relations die, they bury him or her same day without getting it but this is not good.
“People must ensure that they come forward to register the death of their loved ones so that death certificates can be issued to the families of the deceased,” the NPC official said.
(NAN)
