President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday inaugurated a high-level committee to oversee preparations for Nigeria’s forthcoming national population and housing census, the first since 2006. Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the event in Abuja, the President tasked the committee with submitting an interim report within three weeks.
Highlighting the census’s importance for national development, Tinubu emphasized its role in accurate planning and decision-making across healthcare, education, security, and economic sectors. Nigeria’s last census in 2006 recorded a population of 140,431,790, with 71,345,488 males and 69,086,302 females.
The President underscored the need for a technology-driven process, incorporating biometrics and digitalization, to ensure credible and verifiable results. He urged the committee to collaborate with relevant agencies, particularly the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and to explore domestic and international funding sources. “You cannot budget if you do not know how many we are,” Tinubu said, stressing the importance of accurate data.
The committee, chaired by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, includes the Minister of Information, Muhammed Idris, the Minister of Finance, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Principal Secretary to the President, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations, and the National Population Commission (NPC) Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, who serves as secretary.
Bagudu assured the President that the committee would deliver its report within the stipulated timeline, citing Tinubu’s 2003 advice to ministers to work creatively with available resources. He noted Nigeria’s economic progress under Tinubu’s leadership, including improved foreign exchange stability and growth, and promised practical recommendations for funding the census.
Minister of Information Muhammed Idris emphasized that accurate data is critical for sectoral planning, while NPC Chairman Kwarra affirmed the commission’s commitment to a technology-driven census. Kwarra revealed that preparations have already begun in collaboration with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and other stakeholders to lay the groundwork for the exercise.
