NPC to collate data on marriage, divorce

THE National Population Commission (NPC) plans to compile data on marriage and divorce in the country.

Although it was not categorical on the take-off date, the commission said it was in response to the demand of the African Union (AU) on critical demographic issues.

The commission’s Director General, Mr. Jamin Zubema, disclosed this yesterday when the Statistician-General of the Federation visited him in Abuja. He said the NPC would step up its birth registration process in the 36 states of the federation.

Zubema explained that new servers would be deployed to states to capture birth registration and improve on the national database for births and deaths so as to get information on all citizens.

The NPC boss said the commission would collaborate with midwives and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA) to get the necessary information on births in the rural areas.

One of the major challenges bedeviling the nation, he said, was the difficulty in getting information on any Nigerian, noting that the deployment of the database would provide information on where an individual was born, his parents, educational qualifications and other important details about his life.

Zubema said the NPC would partner with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to educate Nigerians on the use of statistical and demographic data, pointing out that the commission had seven data processing centres and offices in all the 774 local councils of the country. .

The representative of the Statistician General, Lewis Gambo, welcomed the planned partnership between the NPC and the NBS, saying it would enhance data utilisation in the country.