UNICEF has warned that 3.5 million children across Nigeria’s South-West region and Edo State currently lack birth certificates, leaving them invisible to government systems. Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of the UNICEF Lagos field office, noted that this lack of legal identity denies children access to essential social services, healthcare, education, and property inheritance rights. The disclosure was made during a media dialogue organized with the National Population Commission to advocate for improved birth registration processes.