President Bola Tinubu has announced plans to set up a committee to align the national census budget with the government’s financial realities.
This decision followed a meeting at the State House, Abuja, where officials of the National Population Commission (NPC), led by Chairman Nasir Kwarra, briefed the President on the current status of census preparations.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed details of the meeting in a statement on Monday, titled ‘Nigeria Moves Closer to Fresh Census, President Tinubu to Set Up Committee’.
Since the last population and housing census in November 2006, Nigeria has faced repeated delays in conducting a new enumeration due to logistical challenges, security concerns, and funding constraints.
Despite investments in digital mapping and biometric technology by the NPC, factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, budgetary limitations, and political transitions led to postponements, including the deferral of the 2023 census.
Under Tinubu’s administration, efforts to reschedule the census have encountered further hurdles, including uncertainties regarding timing, methodology, and strategies for capturing data on mobile populations such as internally displaced persons.
Addressing these concerns at the meeting, Tinubu stated, “This stop-and-go activity on the census cannot work with me. So we better have a definite path.”
He emphasized the need for a structured approach, saying, “I will set up a committee for you to look at the issues critically and do a source and application of resources. Where can we get help, and what can we lift before we embark on proclamation?”
The President also stressed the importance of integrating the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) into the census process, highlighting the need for accurate demographic data to drive national planning.
“We must ascertain who we are, how many we are, and how to manage our data. Without an accurate census, we can’t successfully plan for employment, agriculture, and food sovereignty. So many problems come up without accurate data,” Tinubu noted.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring a credible and reliable census that would enhance development planning and improve the standard of living for Nigerians.
According to him, precise population data would allow the government to optimize social security programs, including the distribution of fertilizers and other incentives.
He further stated, “We should work on our financial muscle well in place to lift our burden before we go and meet development partners for the census. We should work out the figures before discussing the role of development partners.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, underscored the significance of census data in resource allocation and national planning.
“At a retreat for the ministers in 2023, Mr President, you reiterated your commitment to the census, so there is no doubt about your desire and commitment to have the census,” Bagudu said.
He revealed that during the last Federal Executive Council meeting, Tinubu had inquired about the census delay, to which he responded that funding remained the primary challenge.
“Even today, before this meeting, I called the NPC Chairman and restated your commitment to the census,” Bagudu added.
He noted that stakeholders needed to determine the minimum funding required to proceed with the exercise and highlighted the role of development partners in past censuses.
“The NPC indicated that 40 per cent of the funding for the 2006 census came from development partners,” he stated.
Bagudu also pointed out that the enumeration carried out by NPC so far had been useful.
He explained, *“Mr President, we have been having ecosystem meetings to link the identity agencies, even the geo-spatial chaired by the ministry, because of our mandate as the supervising ministry of the National Bureau of Statistics.
“So the NPC, NBS, NIMC, Ministry Of Digital Economy, passport, social register, voters register, and even telecoms data have been meeting with the National Space Research and Development Agency to see how much is available to the government regarding data and how much optimisation can take place.”*
In his presentation, NPC Chairman Kwarra emphasized that the last census took place 19 years ago, making the data outdated and inadequate for effective national planning, particularly in sectors directly impacting the population.
He disclosed that 760,000 tablets had been procured and stored at the Central Bank of Nigeria in preparation for the exercise.
He also assured that the commission would engage development partners for additional support once Tinubu formally approved the census.
