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Population commission registers 10m children in three months
The National Population Commission has announced the successful registration of over 10 million children aged zero to five years within the last three months.
The Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, stated this while speaking to journalists after the First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu presented a birth certificate to the baby of the year at the Asokoro General Hospital, Abuja on Wednesday.
Kwarra, who was represented by the Federal Commissioner from Katsina State, Bala Banya, described the registration as a milestone in the country’s efforts to establish a robust identity management system.
He emphasised the importance of birth registration, noting that it provides a legal identity and affirms the child’s status as a Nigerian.
“One, the birth certificate is an identity. It’s a legal identity. It is a document that identifies that somebody is a Nigerian,” he said.
The NPC has integrated the issuance of e-birth certificates with the National Identity Number system.
According to the chairman, children registered are now automatically assigned a NIN at the time of their birth registration, ensuring their inclusion in the national database.
“In the last three months, we have registered more than 10 million children aged zero to five years. And this registration is continuous.
“We will now concentrate more on under one year registration and we are making tremendous progress,” he added.
The Director General of the commission, Dr. Osifo Ojogun, stressed that the commission had concluded plans to establish over 4,000 registration centres throughout the country to bring registration centres closer to the people.
The DG also noted that the commission was taking advantage of available technology to ensure every child registered, have an identity that cannot be duplicated anywhere.
He appreciated the first Lady who was represented by the wife of the vice president, Hajiya Nana Shettima, for presenting the certificate to the baby of the year.
Ojogun also urged Nigerians to register their deaths with the commission to enable it maintain a clean register.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has granted an immediate waiver of fees for the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for the Nigerian Law School’s Abuja campus in Bwari.
Speaking during a meeting with the school’s management in Abuja, Wike also declared an “emergency” on the construction of staff quarters and other critical infrastructure to enhance the institution’s learning environment.
Responding to an appeal from the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr. Olugbemisola Titilayo Odusote, Wike expressed surprise that the institution had operated without a C of O since moving to Bwari.
He described the lack of official documentation for government institutions as a trend that his administration is actively correcting.
The Minister directed the Director of Lands to waive all processing fees for the school’s C of O, and issued a firm directive to ensure the document is processed and ready within one week.
He noted that regularizing the land is essential to move the school from what he colloquially termed an “illegal session” to rightful ownership.
Beyond land matters, the Minister committed the FCT Administration (FCTA) to several high-priority projects aimed at resolving overcrowding and improving staff efficiency.
Wike announced that 10 staff quarters have already been completed and will be commissioned as part of the President’s third anniversary.
He further pledged to construct an additional 10 units using existing prototypes to save on design costs.
According to him, work is progressing on two new hostels—one for male students and one for female students—to alleviate overcrowding.
The Minister confirmed he has approved the budget for a new auditorium and questioned why the contractor had not yet moved to the site.
To modernize administrative functions, Wike directed the school to liaise with the FCTA General Counsel, to explore digitization solutions similar to ongoing efforts at the FCT High Court.
Wike emphasized that these interventions are part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader agenda to support legal education and the judiciary.
He noted that the President is currently constructing “presidential apartments” for judges to ensure their security, welfare, and autonomy.
”Anything we can do to help our children, we are willing to do that,” Wike stated, adding that the staff quarters must be treated as an emergency project to ensure rapid delivery.
Earlier, Dr. Odusote congratulated the Minister on his appointment and praised the visible infrastructure developments across the FCT, while highlighting the specific challenges of disrepair and infrastructure deficits facing the Law School.
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has assured investors that the government will stay the course on economic reforms, declaring that policy reversals will not define the current phase of the country’s economic management.
The Minister stated this while speaking at the launch of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group Private Sector Outlook 2026 in Lagos on Thursday.
Oyedele said the administration is shifting from stabilisation to measurable growth, where reforms will be judged by outcomes rather than intent.
His comments came barely 48 hours after he assumed office, following the exit of Wale Edun from the Federal Executive Council.
“We are not looking back,” Oyedele said, stressing that consistency in policy direction remains critical to investor confidence.
He warned that mixed signals or abrupt reversals could stall progress, noting that “businesses need to know that today’s decisions will still hold tomorrow.”
While pointing to early signs of macroeconomic stabilisation, including a more aligned exchange rate and improved revenue performance, the minister said these gains must translate into tangible outcomes such as job creation, productivity growth and better living standards.
He identified four priorities for driving investment in the next phase which includes, policy consistency, predictability across fiscal and regulatory frameworks, reduction in the cost of doing business, and improved access to capital.
On financing, Oyedele said the government is working to expand credit across the economy, from consumer lending to industrial financing, with support from institutions such as the Bank of Industry, to stimulate growth and unlock private sector participation.
He added that Nigeria must target stronger real GDP per capita growth to make a meaningful impact on poverty, noting that modest growth figures would not be sufficient given the country’s population dynamics.
The minister further described the current stage of reforms as decisive, where success will depend on execution. “Reforms on their own do not create growth. We need investment at scale,” he said, adding that investors respond to stable and predictable environments, not policy announcements.
On the area of productivity, Oyedele said Nigeria must move beyond consumption-driven expansion and focus on improving output and competitiveness in key sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, energy and the digital economy.
He also called for deeper collaboration between government and the private sector, maintaining that economic growth cannot be delivered by public policy alone.
As the country enters what he termed a consolidation phase, Oyedele said the government would continue to deepen reforms, strengthen public financial management and improve coordination across all tiers of government.
He, however, acknowledged risks, including reform fatigue, inflationary pressures from global uncertainties, and political tensions ahead of the election cycle, but maintained that these challenges are surmountable with discipline and cooperation.
“Our task now is execution,” Oyedele said.
“This phase demands focus, consistency and accountability. That is the direction we are pursuing he added
The Federal Capital Territory FCT minister Nyesom Wike is presently holding a meeting with primary school teachers in the Territory over ongoing strike.
Watch:
Wike waives C-of-O fees for Nigerian Law School, orders emergency staff housing(Photos)
We’re not going to reverse reforms, Finance Minister, Oyedele tells investors
FCT minister Wike engages teachers over strike(Video)
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