Presidential Committee on National Census Inaugurated, Report Due in Three Weeks

In a significant move toward addressing Nigeria’s outdated demographic data, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday inaugurated a high-level committee on the forthcoming national population and housing census. The committee has been tasked with submitting an interim report within just three weeks.

Speaking through his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the State House in Abuja, President Tinubu underscored the census’s crucial role in national development, economic planning, and effective decision-making across sectors including healthcare, education, and security.

“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,” the President directed.

Nigeria’s population was last officially counted in 2006, recording 140,431,790 citizens. The eight-member committee, chaired by Budget and Economic Planning Minister Senator Atiku Bagudu, includes high-ranking officials from various government departments.

Bagudu expressed confidence in meeting the deadline despite economic challenges, noting that Nigeria is making steady progress under the Tinubu administration. Meanwhile, NPC Chairman Nasir Isa Kwarra confirmed that groundwork for the census has already begun in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.