TUESDAY February 25, 2025 |TheNewsDESK
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Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Monday said he would set up a committee to align the census budget to the government’s present financial realities, according to ThePUNCH reports.
This followed a meeting at the State House, Abuja, where officials of the National Population Commission led by the Chairman, Nasir Kwarra, briefed the President.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed details of the meeting in a statement on Monday, titled‘Nigeria moves closer to fresh census, President Tinubu to set up committee’.
Since its last census in November 2006, Nigeria’s housing and population census has faced repeated delays and logistical hurdles since the twilight of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Although the National Population Commission invested in new technology, such as digital mapping and biometric capture, to enhance accuracy and transparency, issues, including inadequate funding, insecurity in certain regions, and the onset of COVID-19, contributed to a series of postponements.
The 2023 census, in particular, was deferred due to overlapping concerns, ranging from budget constraints to political transitions, making it difficult for stakeholders to finalisé preparations before Buhari left office.
Under the Tinubu administration, plans to reschedule the census have equally faced difficulties, as the Federal Government remain uncertain over timing, methodology, and questions regarding how best to capture data on large, mobile populations, including internally displaced persons.
“This stop-and-go activity on the census cannot work with me. So we better have a definite path,” Tinubu said at Monday’s meeting.
He added, “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?”
It would be another step closer to conducting a new national population and housing census with biometric and digital components.
Tinubu said the National Identity Management Commission must be part of the review.
“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,” President Tinubu noted.
He reiterated his commitment to ensuring accurate and reliable figures from the national census to strengthen development planning and improve Nigerians’ living conditions through more efficient social security.
The President noted that government incentives, such as the sale and distribution of fertilisers, could be easily improved with more reliable data and demographics.
He told the delegation that biometric capturing should be central to the process, with multiple identification features, including facial and voice recognition.
He said, “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.”
