Section 50: Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
"birth" includes a live birth and a stillbirth;
''house'' means any building and also any part of a building where such part is occupied separately from the rest and includes a prison, lock-up hospital, lunatic, asylum and public or charitable institution;
"live birth" means the birth of a child born alive;
''Minister'' means the Minister charged with responsibility for internal affairs;
"occupier" in relation to a public institution includes the Governor, keeper, master, matron, superintendent or other chief resident officer and in relation to a house let in separate apartments or lodgings and includes any person residing in the house who is the person under whom the lodgings or separate apartments are immediately held or his agent;
"prescribed" means prescribed by regulations made under this Act;
"public institution" includes a prison, lock-up, hospital and such other public or charitable institutions as may be prescribed;
"registrar" in relation to any birth or death means the registrar of births and deaths for a district in which the birth or death takes place or where any living newborn child is found exposed or any dead body is found and no information as to the place of birth or death is available for the district in which the child or dead body is found and includes every registrar appointed by or pursuant to this Act;
"relative" includes a relative by marriage and in relation to a person in respect of whom an adoption order has been made under an adoption law in force in Nigeria the person who would be a relative of the adopted person where the child of the adopter was born in lawful wedlock;
"stillborn child" means a child who had issued forth from its mother after 28 weeks of pregnancy and which did not at any time after being completely expelled from its mother breathe or show any other sign of life and the expression "stillbirth" shall be construed accordingly.