President Bola Tinubu has established a committee aimed at finalizing plans for the upcoming national population and housing census, which will incorporate biometric and digital components.
The committee’s primary focus will be to align the census budget with current financial realities.
This decision was made during a meeting at the State House on Monday with officials from the National Population Commission. The President emphasized that the National Identity Management Commission must be part of the review process.
“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 stated.
He reiterated his commitment to ensuring that the census produces accurate and reliable data to strengthen development planning and improve the living conditions of Nigerians through more effective social security.
NPC Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, along with other commission members, briefed the President on their preparations. President Tinubu noted that government initiatives, such as the distribution of fertilizers, could be enhanced with more reliable demographic data.
The President emphasized that biometric capturing should be central to the process, incorporating features such as facial and voice recognition to ensure comprehensive identification.
“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,” he said.
He stressed the need for a clear, definitive path, noting, “This stop-and-go activity on the census cannot work with me. So we better have a definite path. 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?”
Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, highlighted the importance of the census data for future planning and resource distribution. He recalled that during a 2023 retreat for ministers, President Tinubu had reaffirmed his commitment to conducting the census.
“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. 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,” Bagudu said.
He further noted that the NPC indicated that 40 percent of the funding for the 2006 census came from development partners.
Bagudu also shared that various agencies, including the NPC, NBS, NIMC, Ministry of Digital Economy, and others, have been collaborating to optimize data resources available to the government.
In his presentation, NPC Chairman Kwarra explained that the last census was conducted in 2006, and the population figures were now outdated, particularly for critical sectors. He noted that 760,000 tablets had been acquired and stored with the Central Bank of Nigeria, assuring that the NPC would engage with development partners once President Tinubu officially announced the new census.
It is important to note that the country last conducted a census in November 2006.
