President Bola Tinubu has announced that he will form a committee to adjust the census budget to the current financial situation of the government.
This came after the President met the officials of the National Population Commission, led by Chairman Nasir Kwarra, at the State House in Abuja.
In a statement released on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, revealed the meeting’s details.
The statement is titled ‘Nigeria moves closer to fresh census, President Tinubu to set up the committee.
Nigeria’s housing and population census has seen several delays and logistical challenges since the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, with the most recent one taking place in November 2006.
Even though the NPC made investments in new technologies to improve accuracy and transparency, such as digital mapping and biometric capture, several delays were caused by problems including insufficient budget, regional instability, and the start of COVID-19.
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 remains 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,” 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 added, “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, said the census data would be central to future planning and resource distribution.
“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.
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“In fact, at the last Federal Executive Council meeting, you asked me what the problem was, and I told you it was simply an issue of lack of ability to fund the census.
“Even today, before this meeting, I called the NPC Chairman and restated your commitment to the census,” said Bagudu.
However, the minister said the commission and everyone on the team need to agree on the minimum amount that can be sourced to support the President in making the final decision.
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“The NPC indicated that 40 per cent of the funding for the 2006 census came from development partners,” Bagudu stated.
He also noted that the enumeration done by NPC so far has been helpful.
Bagudu added, “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.”
The previous census was conducted in 2006, and 19 years later, NPC chairman Kwarra stated in his presentation that the results were no longer useful for planning, especially for important sectors that have a direct influence on the populace.
Assuring that the commission would contact development partners to solicit assistance after Tinubu announced the new census, he stated that 760,000 tablets had been purchased and placed in storage at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
