NPC Seeks Unified Marriage and Divorce Registration

 

By Atlantic Reports

The National Population Commission (NPC) is consulting stakeholders on a proposed framework to harmonise marriage and divorce registration across Nigeria, seeking to address fragmented procedures and improve access to reliable records.

The commission’s Overseeing Commissioner, Mary Ishaya-Afan, outlined the initiative on Wednesday at the North-West Zonal Consultation on the Draft Harmonised Protocol for Marriage and Divorce Registration in Nigeria, held in Kano.

Represented by the Director of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Anthonia Eze, Ishaya-Afan said the objective was to establish a functioning national registration framework rather than produce another policy document.

She said the proposed protocol would strengthen institutional coordination, improve vital statistics and support the protection of individual and family rights.

Records That Affect Family Rights

Ishaya-Afan said marriage and divorce were legal events with implications extending beyond their social and cultural significance.

Proper notification, registration and certification, she said, were important to protecting rights relating to spousal support, child custody, inheritance, property ownership and other entitlements.

She also identified reliable records as a resource for social protection, gender equality, efforts to prevent child marriage and evidence-based public planning.

However, she said existing registration arrangements remained fragmented, with institutions using separate procedures, forms and record-keeping systems.

The consultations are intended to ensure that the final protocol combines national standards with the practical realities of Nigeria’s diverse communities.

Digital Registration and Implementation

NPC Deputy Director of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Adaku Obodo, said the exercise sought to harmonise procedures for digital marriage and divorce registration nationwide.

She said these events had not been adequately covered in the commission’s civil registration activities since its inception.

Obodo said improved data could support development planning and research into patterns of marriage and divorce. Understanding the causes of divorce would also require analysis beyond registration figures alone.

Ishaya-Afan urged participants to identify legal, institutional, cultural, gender, accessibility and data-protection challenges that could affect implementation.

She called for cooperation among government ministries, the judiciary, local governments, faith-based and traditional institutions, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

Framework Still Under Consultation

The protocol remains a draft. The consultation account did not specify an implementation date, registration fees, funding arrangements or how existing records would be incorporated into the proposed digital system.

For families, practical questions include where registration will take place, how accessible it will be and how sensitive personal information will be protected.

Supported by the United Nations Population Fund, the consultations are intended to shape a framework that improves both the usefulness of national statistics and the reliability of records on which individuals may depend.

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