By Busari Kabirat
Commissioner Emma Eke, who is the Federal representative of Abia State in the National Population Commission, (NPC), has expressed worry on how Abia State parents are not utilizing the opportunity of the ongoing free birth registration of their children to enjoy the benefits.
Commissioner Eke, who over the weekend spoken in Umuahia, lamented that the ongoing exercise has gotten a very low response by parents in the state, despite the importance being told during the sensitization campaigns.
The commissioner stated the importance of the free birth registration of the children to be a guarantee for the Abia and the South East children to access government programmes and opportunities like health insurance assessment, social security, government official identification, economic plans, and school enrolment and others.
He assured Abia parents that the free birth registration would not be used for any negative purpose.
His words: “This birth registration enrolment will enable school enrolment at the age of entering school and also, government is planning to use it as an instrument to have that child partake in any of the primary healthcare programmes.
“It is also a mini census of sorts. Resources are allocated based on number. If they find out that the number in the South East is low or Abia is low, what Abia State will get from the national treasury will be low.” he added.
