NPC Seeks Unified System For Marriage, Divorce Registration As N’ east Zonal Consultation Opens In Adamawa

Daji Sani in Yola 

The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced moves to harmonize marriage and divorce registration in Nigeria with the opening of the North-East Zonal Consultation on the Draft Harmonized Protocol for Marriage and Divorce Registration.

The consultation, held at the City Green Hotel in Yola, Adamawa State, brought together stakeholders from the six states of the North-east geopolitical zone for a two-day review of the draft framework aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system.

Declaring the consultation open on Wednesday, the Commissioner Overseeing the Chairman’s Office of the NPC and Hon. Federal Commissioner for Plateau State, Hon. (Mrs.) Mary Ishaya Afan, who was represented by Mr. Teniola Caxton, said the exercise marks an important stage in developing a unified and functional civil registration system in the country.

Mrs. Afan said marriage and divorce are more than social or cultural events, describing them as significant legal acts that create rights and obligations with far-reaching implications for individuals, families and communities.

According to her, proper notification, registration and certification provide a basis for protecting rights relating to spousal support, child custody, inheritance, property and other legal entitlements, while also generating vital statistics for planning, social protection and service delivery.

She noted that such statistics are required for evidence-based planning, prevention of child marriage, promotion of gender equality and effective delivery of public services across the country.

The commissioner lamented that despite their importance, marriage and divorce registration in Nigeria have remained fragmented, with different institutions operating different procedures, forms and record-keeping arrangements.

She listed the institutions to include the NPC, the judiciary, Ministries of Interior and Justice, local governments, faith-based organizations and traditional institutions, adding that processes remain largely paper-based with limited coordination and data integration.

Afan explained that it was against this background that the commission, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and development partners, developed the Draft Harmonized Protocol at a national workshop held in July 2025 at the United Nations House in Abuja.

She said the Draft Protocol seeks to establish common procedures, clarify institutional mandates and responsibilities, strengthen data management within the electronic CRVS system including the VITALREG platform, and recognize Nigeria’s statutory, customary, Islamic and Christian marriage systems, while also providing for digitization, decentralization and data protection.

Also speaking at the stakeholders’ event, the Deputy Director of Civil Registration of the NPC, Mrs. Obodo Adaku, recalled that the NPC is statutorily mandated to register births, deaths, stillbirths, marriages and divorces across the country.

Mrs. Adaku said many Nigerians who are married or divorced do not have their unions officially registered, a gap the commission is determined to close through the harmonized framework.

She said the NPC is aimed at strengthening the registration of all categories of marriages and divorces to ensure every union has legal backing and can be defended where necessary.

She added that proper registration will give married couples and divorced persons the legal rights to seek redress, claim entitlements and protect the interests of children and families in accordance with the law.