President Tinubu has inaugurated a committee for the national population and housing census, tasking them to submit an interim report within three weeks

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]resident Bola Ahmed Tinubu has established a committee to oversee the upcoming national population and housing census, setting a three-week deadline for the submission of an interim report.

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This announcement was made in a statement released by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the inauguration ceremony held at the State House in Abuja, President Tinubu emphasized the critical importance of the census for national development, accurate planning, and effective decision-making across various sectors, including healthcare, education, security, and economic planning.

He also highlighted the pivotal role of a technology-driven process in ensuring credible and verifiable results, stressing the need for close collaboration among all relevant agencies and stakeholders.

Addressing the crucial issue of financing, the President urged the committee members to explore both domestic and international resources.

“Work with all relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. This ministry has to take charge of this because you cannot budget if you do not know how many of us there are,” he stated.

“We expect you will touch on the technology area because the census must be technology-driven. Things have changed since the last time that we conducted this exercise. The enumeration has to be technology-driven with biometrics and digitalisation,” he added.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, who will chair the Presidential Committee on Population and Housing Census, assured the President that the committee would deliver its report within the stipulated three-week timeframe.

Bagudu recalled Tinubu’s advice to ministers during their retreat in 2003, urging them to think creatively and work with available resources, even under challenging economic conditions.

He noted that despite global economic hurdles, Nigeria is making steady progress under President Tinubu’s leadership, citing improved foreign exchange stability and a positive growth trajectory.

He stated that the committee will recommend practical solutions, including strategies for mobilizing domestic and international resources to fund the census.

The Minister of Information, Muhammed Idris, a committee member, emphasized that accurate data is essential for planning across all sectors and that a credible census is the foundation for such data.

The National Population Commission Chairman, Nasir Kwarra, who will serve as the committee Secretary, stated that the commission has already commenced preparations for the national population and housing census, collaborating with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and other relevant stakeholders.

Kwarra assured Nigerians that the National Population Commission remains committed to ensuring a credible, technology-driven enumeration that will support effective national planning and development.

The eight-member committee includes the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission, the Principal Secretary to the President, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations (Office of the Chief of Staff).

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Nigeria’s last census was conducted in 2006, nearly two decades ago, recording a population of 140,431,790, with 71,345,488 males and 69,086,302 females.