President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated a high-level committee to oversee the forthcoming national population and housing census. The committee, chaired by Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, has been given a three-week deadline to submit its interim report.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!According to a statement released by the State House, President Tinubu emphasized the crucial role of the census in national development, accurate planning, and effective decision-making in healthcare, education, security, and economic planning. He noted that the census must be technology-driven, with biometrics and digitalization, to ensure credible and verifiable results.
“Work with all relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. This ministry has to take charge of this because you cannot budget if you do not know how many we are,” he said.
“We expect you will touch on the technology area because the census must be technology-driven. Things have changed since the last time that we conducted this exercise. The enumeration has to be technology-driven with biometrics and digitalisation,” he added.
The President’s directive came nearly two decades after the last census in 2006, which recorded a population of 140,431,790, comprising 71,345,488 males and 69,086,302 females. President Tinubu stressed the need for collaboration among all relevant agencies and stakeholders, including the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, to ensure the success of the census.
Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila represented President Tinubu at the event, where the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning assured that the committee would deliver its report within the three-week deadline. Senator Bagudu noted that despite global economic challenges, Nigeria is making steady progress under President Tinubu’s leadership, citing improved foreign exchange stability and a positive growth trajectory.
The committee will recommend practical solutions, including strategies for mobilizing domestic and international resources to fund the census. Minister of Information, Muhammed Idris, emphasized that “accurate data is critical for planning across all sectors and that a credible census is the foundation for such data.”
National Population Commission Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, who will serve as the committee’s Secretary, assured Nigerians that “the National Population Commission remains committed to ensuring a credible, technology-driven enumeration that will support effective national planning and development.”
The eight-member committee includes notable members such as the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission, the Principal Secretary to the President, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations.
By Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy)