On Tuesday, the Senate expressed concerns over Nigeria’s failure to conduct a population census in the past 19 years, calling the situation a national embarrassment.
The legislators argued that this has made Nigeria a laughing stock among nations that value credible data and planning.
The Senate directed the National Population Commission (NPC) to ensure a nationwide census is conducted within 2025.
NPC Chairman, Nasir Kwarra, revealed that work is underway on implementing a biometric model for the headcount.
The lack of reliable data and statistics, which hinders specific and accurate planning, was highlighted during the 2025 budget defense session between the Senate Committee on National Identity and Population and the NPC Chairman.
The committee is chaired by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP Bauchi Central).
Senator Diket Plang (APC Plateau Central) was the first to express dissatisfaction, lamenting that Nigeria still relies on estimated population figures and foreign data.
“It’s disheartening that we don’t know our own population and still rely on foreign estimates,” he said.
“Nigeria should be counted this year.”
Senator Olalere Oyewumi (PDP Osun West), the Deputy Minority Leader, echoed Plang’s concerns and stressed the importance of having the census conducted this year to avoid delays into 2026, which could interfere with the 2027 general elections.
“The 2025 budget for the NPC should focus on the population census,” Oyewumi added.
Ningi also emphasized the significance of the census and stated that the Senate would write to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to prioritize the headcount.
Kwarra explained that while the President supports the census, he insists on implementing a biometric approach to avoid discrepancies like counting animals or inaccurate population figures.
The NPC’s proposed budget for 2025 includes N18.2 billion, with N1.17 billion earmarked for overhead costs and N17.7 billion allocated for capital expenditure.
