Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Stakeholders in the campaigns against extortion in the birth registration have reaffirmed that birth registration in Nigeria is free of charge.
The National Population Commission (NPC), the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and civil society groups, rose from a town hall meeting in Owerri, Imo State at the weekend, with a firm commitment to work under an Advocacy Technical Team to embark in a campaign to stop the collection of money from parents in the registration of children at birth.
The community town hall meeting was preceded by a Radio Town Hall at Hot FM, Owerri and led by Executive Director of Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG), Augustine Okhiria Agbonsuremi.
It drew participants from civil society organisations, faith and community-based organisations, community leaders, youth and women organisations and representatives of the National Population Commission (NPC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Orientation Agency, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Imo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ISPHCDA) and International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).