Nigeria has taken a major step toward conducting a new national population and housing census, incorporating biometric and digital components, 19 years after the last census in November 2006.
President Bola Tinubu, at a meeting on Monday with officials of the National Population Commission (NPC) at the State House, Abuja, announced plans to establish a committee to align the census budget with the government’s financial realities. He emphasized the need for the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to 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 arise without accurate data,” Tinubu said.
The president reaffirmed his commitment to obtaining reliable population figures to enhance development planning and social security programs. He noted that biometric capturing, including facial and voice recognition, should be central to the census process.
“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 to critically examine the issues, assess available resources, and determine the role of development partners,” he added.
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said the census data would be crucial for future planning and resource distribution. He noted that Tinubu had previously reaffirmed his commitment to the census during a 2023 ministerial retreat and at the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
“The NPC indicated that 40% of the funding for the 2006 census came from development partners,” Bagudu said, adding that the government is working with agencies like the NPC, NBS, NIMC, and NASRDA to optimize existing data.
In his remarks, NPC Chairman Nasir Isa Kwarra stated that 760,000 tablets had already been acquired and stored at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in preparation for the census. He assured that the commission would engage development partners for support once President Tinubu officially proclaims the census.
The new census is expected to provide updated data for effective governance, economic planning, and national development.
