NEWS
Census will hold in 2024 as scheduled – Senate assures Nigerians
The Nigerian Senate has provided reassurance to citizens that the eagerly anticipated population and housing census, set to take place in November 2024, will indeed proceed as planned.
During the screening of 17 of the 19 commissioner-nominees for the National Population Commission in Abuja, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Identity and Population, highlighted that many of the nominees have previous experience in this role. This demonstrates their familiarity and expertise in the field.
“It is a renomination and we have perused their credentials presented in the first instance, compared to the ones they. have just presented.”
The last census was conducted in 2006, by the National Population Commission, which gave a population figure of 140 million.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had initially planned to carry out a census in 2022, but the timeline was later shifted to 2023. However, just before leaving office, Buhari decided to indefinitely suspend the exercise, stating that he would leave it to President Bola Tinubu to announce new dates for the headcount.
In a recent development, President Tinubu has expressed his administration’s unwavering support for the upcoming census, emphasizing its significance in crucial aspects of national planning. Recognizing the importance of political will from the government, Tinubu’s commitment to conducting the census highlights the need for accurate and up-to-date data.
It is worth noting that Nigeria has not conducted a census in the past 11 years, making the upcoming headcount a vital step towards understanding the country’s demographic landscape and facilitating informed decision-making for the future.
“We are almost 11 years without taking the United Nations resolution on population which comes almost every seven years.
“I am sure with the political will, this is possible, it’s doable, the commission is ready, the personnel are ready. All we need do is the announcement by the President that the population census is coming on a date and once he says it, the international observers will now come in with their support.
“Without the President’s declaration, no one will send a kobo to Nigeria to support population census. Seventy-five per cent of the logistics in terms of machines, in terms of training of the personnel have been completed.
“All we need to do is for the President to have the political will, and commitment to say the census is taking place and we cannot postpone it.”
“That is why it is difficult now to ascertain the exact population. Even pro-rata, how many are Nigerians because of lack of political will,” Ningi said.
“The nominees should realise the importance of the assignment before them. The last time we had a national census was more than a decade ago.
“No nation improves nor develops without knowing its number and therefore, this is a unique assignment that the nominees will face in due course.
“This is because we are going to face the national census. And you have been selected because of your pedigree, your experience and exposure to the system.
“It is very imperative while you are on that duty, we must see ourselves as Nigerians. There is no basis for any competition; whether there are more Hausa people than Igbo people or Yoruba than Tivs.
“That is not the essence of population count. The essence is to be able to develop a mechanism where we lay a developmental plan that will meet the aspirations of our peoples.”
