The Nigerian Senate has renewed its call for a national population census to be conducted before the end of the current administration in 2027.
This was reiterated during a budget defense session with the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa Kwarra, by the Senate Committee on National Identity Management and Population.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Abdul Ningi, assured that the Senate is committed to ensuring the census is conducted, stating, “We will not rest on our oars until a census is conducted before this administration ends.”
He revealed plans for the Senate to meet with President Bola Tinubu to emphasize the urgency of conducting the census in 2025. “We will soon engage the President on this matter and formally write to him through the Senate President, highlighting the need for a census this year,” Ningi said.
Senator Olalere Oyewunmi also stressed the importance of urging the President to prioritize the census, while Senator Diket Plang criticized the country’s reliance on estimated population figures, which he said hampers effective planning.
“It’s disheartening that we are still working with estimates in this modern age. How can we plan without knowing the exact population? We need to know our population and must ensure a definitive count by 2025,” Plang stated.
The NPC Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, noted that the commission is yet to finalize the budget for the census, as it plans to include a biometric component in the process.
“We are waiting to incorporate the biometric aspect into this year’s budget and conduct a test run before meeting with the President. The President prefers a biometric model for the headcount, moving away from the conventional approach,” Kwarra said.
The Senate emphasized that conducting a census is crucial for effective national planning and development, urging all stakeholders to support the effort.
