NPC Moves to Harmonise Marriage, Divorce Registration Nationwide

The National Population Commission (NPC) says it is working towards harmonising marriage and divorce registration in Nigeria to establish a comprehensive national database for civil registration and vital statistics.

The Overseeing Commissioner of the commission, Mrs Mary Ishaya Afan, stated this in Kano at the North-Central Zonal Consultation on the Draft Harmonised Protocol for Marriage and Divorce Registration in Nigeria.

Mary Ishaya Afan, represented by Mrs Anthonia Eze, Director, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Department, said the initiative would strengthen institutional coordination and improve the availability of reliable data for national development.

She said marriage and divorce were significant legal events with far-reaching implications for individuals, families and communities, noting that proper registration and certification were essential for protecting rights relating to inheritance, property, spousal support and child custody.

Afan explained that the absence of a harmonised registration system had resulted in fragmented records, as statutory marriage registries, churches, Islamic institutions, traditional institutions and other relevant bodies operated different procedures and documentation arrangements.

According to her, the challenges have affected the completeness and reliability of marriage and divorce statistics, limiting their usefulness in evidence-based planning, policy formulation, social protection and the delivery of public services.

Also speaking, Mrs Obodo Adaku, Deputy Director in charge of the Civil Registration Unit at the NPC headquarters, Abuja, said the consultation was aimed at identifying existing gaps and developing a common protocol for registering marriages and divorces across the country.

Adaku said the commission had a statutory responsibility for civil registration under the Births, Deaths, etc. (Compulsory Registration) Act, 1992, but marriage and divorce registration had yet to be comprehensively integrated into its national civil registration system.

She noted that reliable statistics on marriages and divorces were essential for understanding demographic trends, assessing fertility patterns and developing appropriate interventions to address social challenges, including issues associated with marital breakdown.

Adaku said the proposed protocol would provide common procedures, clarify the responsibilities of relevant institutions and support the digital integration of records into the commission’s electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system, including the VITALREG platform. She added that the framework would accommodate statutory, customary, Islamic and Christian marriages while improving documentation and data management.

The consultation attracted stakeholders from relevant ministries, departments and agencies, marriage registries, the judiciary, religious and traditional institutions, civil society organisations and other partners.

The workshop was conducted with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).