Nigeria, Feb. 14 -- Eighteen years after the last census, Nigeria's population data still rely largely on estimates and projections, which are often inaccurate. However, the problem is further compounded by the inefficiency of the civil registration and vital statistics systems.

Vital statistics primarily deal with events that affect an individual's civil status, such as births, deaths, stillbirths, marriages, and annulments. These data should be collected continuously as they are crucial for managing the national identification system, voters register, and other government data.

Data on deaths and their causes are essential for planning health services at local and national levels. For example, statistics on causes of death are useful ...