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An electronic birth record management system for Nigeria

Article  in  Nigerian Journal of Technology · July 2019

DOI: 10.4314/njt.v38i3.31

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 Nigerian Journal of Technology (NIJOTECH)
Vol. 38, No. 3, July 2019, pp. 763 – 768
Copyright© Faculty of Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka,
Print ISSN: 0331-8443, Electronic ISSN: 2467-8821
www.nijotech.com
http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v38i3.31

AN ELECTRONIC BIRTH RECORD MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM FOR NIGERIA

F. O. Oliha1,*, E. P. Ebietomere2 and G. O. Ekuobase3

1, 2, 3,
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF BENIN, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA
E-mail addresses: 1 [email protected]; 2 [email protected],
3
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
Verifying a citizen’s birth information is predominantly weighted with rigorous processes due to the
multitude of birth registration centres and the method of birth registration and archiving its records
are operationally manual within the nation. Consequently, this approach is systematically prone to
destruction, falsification, alteration, or duplication of birth records and thus, this paper proposed
and developed an electronic system for birth registration and record management. It adopted the
system analysis and design (SAD) methodology suitably for its designs and implementation. The
dataflow diagram (DFD) was adopted for its design while its implementation involved several client
and server side development tools: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Java Script and Cascading
Style Sheet (CSS), Hypertext Pre-Processor (PHP) and My Structured Query Language (MySQL).
The resultant prototype system was tested and evaluated entirely, and it demonstrated the
capability of birth registration, its records management, and also checking its associated challenges
– verification, retrieval, duplications, etc. On full deployment, it will curb the rampart falsification
of birth information in Nigeria.

Keywords: Civil birth registration, Birth information, Birth certificate, birth falsification.

1. INTRODUCTION Nigeria presently operates a centralized Civil

In every country, civil registration provides the Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system with no
demographic data used by governments to track the effective means of checking counterfeit birth
size, differentials and trends of their population. An certificates or conflicting birth records. Detecting
effective civil registration system provides accurate counterfeit birth certificates or conflicting birth records
population data for public resource allocation and in Nigeria is presently almost not possible due to the
planning [1, 2]. Birth registration is often the basis of multitude of birth registration centres with varying
birth certificate and other civil records and serves as certificate appearances, textures and signatures. The
vital statistics for purpose of planning, resource implication of such birth registration system is the
allocation and immigration [2 - 6]. A birth certificate is unfortunate reliance on inaccurate data for national
a legal document that serves as proof of identity and resource allocation, planning, and immigration control
age [7]. The issuance of birth certificate is a key to [9]. This emphasizes the need for electronic birth
certain rights and privileges in every society – often record management system in Nigeria.
used as "pre-requisite" document to obtain driver Electronic birth record management systems are
licenses, passports, national identity cards, social already operational in some developing countries; for
security cards, job placement and migration example, Indian (since 2003) and Bangladesh (since
documents [8]. This importance attached to birth 2009) and these have really improved their country’s
certificates has exposed it to forgery or falsification vital demographic statistical archives and efficiently
[9]. checked falsification of birth records [6, 10].
Consequently, this paper developed an electronic birth

* Corresponding author’s tel.: +234 – 818 – 166 – 4989

 AN ELECTRONIC BIRTH RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR NIGERIA, F. O. Oliha, E. P. Ebietomere & G. O. Ekuobase

registration system with a view to manage birth These challenges call for the digitization of the
records across the multitudes of registration centres in Nigerian CRVS system. The authors however, noted
Nigeria. In addendum, it provides a digital repository the use of a system known as Rapid SMS by the NPC
of birth information to help check some of the for monitoring registrars and statistical records of
bottlenecks associated with birth certificates at the births in every registration centre. This system is the
CRVS system. only digital tool used by NPC, where every registrar
has a unique identification number and reports the
2. METHODOLOGY number of birth registration cases every week and the
2.1 System’s Investigation and Analysis statistical reports are updated on the Rapid SMS
The SAD research methodology was adopted. The dashboard which is accessible over the web. The Rapid
analysis of the existing birth registration system was SMS could only help aggregate summary of birth
done by structured interview of some of its key reports in registration centres with consistent patterns
implementers at the National Population Commission of irregular reporting or non‐reporting in some
(NPC). These key implementers include Registrars, registration centres [12]. The Rapid SMS system
Deputy Registrars, Deputy Chief Registrars and staff therefore does not in any way undermine the call for
of the Vital Statistics Department of NPC. NPC is the the digitization of the Nigeria CRVS system.
sole organization mandated to establish and maintain In Consequent, a framework was proposed for civil
a continuous and compulsory CRVS system in Nigeria birth registration and record management in Nigeria
[11]. The findings from interviews were as follows: capable of tackling the aforementioned challenges of
i. Birth registration and birth record the present CRVS system in Nigeria.
management is manual;
ii. Third parties (e.g. schools, hospitals, 2.2 The Proposed Framework
immigration officers, etc.) have no means of The framework depicted in Figure 1 is an abstraction
direct verification of birth information; of a cybernated system with a digital repository of
iii. Individual birth information verification birth related records in distributed data servers to aid
(retrieval) is grossly inefficient, unreliable and availability and reliability of services. It consists of two
expensive; dashboards to handle both the managerial activities
iv. No means of checking duplicate birth and the technological services. The client dashboard
registration/records of individuals; consists of the user’s entity, processes and activities
v. Birth records were prone to alteration, theft, while on the server dashboard are maintenance panel
destruction or disappearance. and disparate database servers.

Client s Dashboard Server s Dashboard

D.R. Users
Registrar
D.C.R. Maintenance Panel
V.S.D.
 User Preferences
 Access, Authentication and Authorization
 Manage Settings

Database B

Birth
Registration Database A

Birth Records
& Information Database N

Client s Processes and Activities Distributed Records

Figure 1: A Framework for Electronic Civil Birth Registration and Records System

Nigerian Journal of Technology, Vol. 38, No. 2, July 2019 764

 AN ELECTRONIC BIRTH RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR NIGERIA, F. O. Oliha, E. P. Ebietomere & G. O. Ekuobase

The framework is a two-tier architecture – where system. It shows how inputs are accepted and then
processes and functions of the system can be processed to generate results for different task such
accessed by users (Registrar, Deputy Registrar (DR), as verifications, authentication and validation. The
Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR) and the Vital Statistics search process facilitates checks of record existence
Department (VSD)) through a web browser which and allows verification of the claimed birth
gives user access to the client dashboard for information.
interactions with the system. Information from such
interactions are deposited and retrieved from the 2.4 System’s Development
database server at the back end. This will aid real time In the development of the prototype civil system, the
verification and retrieval of birth information by all and Sublime Text Integrated Development Environment
sundry. A reliable, secured and efficient processing (IDE) was employed – a text development
and management of Nigerian civil birth information is environment for building scripts files such as PHP and
also guaranteed. markup files such as HTML. Sublime Text IDE also
allows developers to design dynamic web pages and
2.3 System’s Design preview websites in locally installed web browsers.
The proposed system being an information system Bootstrap was used as a framework for building
was designed using DFD, as depicted in Figure2 and CSS/HTML layout library in making the system
Figure3, in order to express its functionality attractive, while JavaScript was used to build the
(processes) and information flow. It was noted by system’s interactive interface and forms validation.
Oliha [13] that DFD is very useful for describing XAMPP (Cross-Platform (X), Apache (A), MySQL (M),
processes and information flow in systems. A brief PHP (P) and Perl (P)); was used as a local server to
description of DFD notations can be seen in [14]. test run the system with a structured query language,
Figure 2 captures among others, the proposed MySQL for database management. XAMPP is a
system’s core functionalities. It describes the proposed lightweight Apache distributed application that makes
system, how it will be accessed and how its it extremely easy for developers to create a local web
components are operationally organized. server for testing purposes. The system was populated
Figure 3 represents the data flow diagram for the birth with 50 fictitious birth registration data.
registration and record management process of the
D.C.
Registrar Vital Statistics

view/search_&_analyze
get_login_access

Registrar birth_record_
info

Records birth_statistical
_info

Users Birth proces s_data

Account Registration birth_certificate
grant_access_to_system _info
Access Management
store_processed_data

generate_records
get_user_access_info

grant_access Users
Account
Management
store_user_info

Users Account
Details
Database of Birth
Records

create_edit_user_info

Administrator

Figure 2: A Level-1 Core of Proposed System DFD

Nigerian Journal of Technology, Vol. 38, No. 2, July 2019 765
 AN ELECTRONIC BIRTH RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR NIGERIA, F. O. Oliha, E. P. Ebietomere & G. O. Ekuobase

Process generate_records
Display
Registration birth_record_
search_records Records
Data info
enter_reg_data

store_birth_reg_records
birth_statistical

retrieve_birth_records
_info

birth_certificate
Registrar _info

Birth Registration
Records

Figure 3: A level - 2 Birth Registration and Record Management DFD

Figure 4: Online Birth Verification Query Result by Citizen Name

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION citizens using name or birth registration number as

An interactive functional prototype of the Nigerian civil captured in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
birth registration and records system that could Figure 4 shows the citizens with surname “Omobude”
address the aforementioned challenges of the present in the system. Here, it is possible to identify possible
Nigerian CRVS system was realized. The system duplication of individual citizen’s record which may not
consisted of birth information repository and several have been detected at registration or entry point. Any
modules collectively to meet users’ need and NPC’s birth information can be checked to checkmate
objectives. Thus, the system’s search module was falsification irrespective of its registration centre.
specifically tested to verify birth information of some
Nigerian Journal of Technology, Vol. 38, No. 2, July 2019 766
 AN ELECTRONIC BIRTH RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR NIGERIA, F. O. Oliha, E. P. Ebietomere & G. O. Ekuobase

Figure 5: Online Birth Verification Query Result by Citizen Complete Name

Figure 6: Detail Birth Information of Citizen “Omobude Cynthia”.

Figure 5 shows the citizens with “Omobude Cynthia” 4. CONCLUSION

in the system. Observe that even “Cynthia” was yet to This research exposed the limitations of the present
be entered completely for “Omobude Cynthia” birth Nigerian civil birth registration and record
record to be displayed since no other “Omobude” in management system. It developed a prototype
the system is with first name starting with “C”. If the electronic Birth Record Management system. The
search data does not exist, no record will be displayed. designed and implemented system allows for instant
Details of “Omobude Cynthia” was then queried by verification of individual birth record of Nigerians and
clicking on the query button on the right cell of the is capable of checking the challenges which include
citizen’s record; and captured in Figure 6.A collection alteration, theft, destruction, duplication and
of related birth information is warehoused in a falsification associated with birth information. On full
repository to make retrieval of information feasible deployment, this system will therefore, curb the
and swift as against the rigorous processes of having falsification of birth information in Nigeria.
to locate the registration centre with bulk of files to go
through.

Nigerian Journal of Technology, Vol. 38, No. 2, July 2019 767

 AN ELECTRONIC BIRTH RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR NIGERIA, F. O. Oliha, E. P. Ebietomere & G. O. Ekuobase

5. REFERENCES [8] Brown, J. G. (1998), “Birth Certificate Fraud”,

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Nigerian Journal of Technology, Vol. 38, No. 2, July 2019 768

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