By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE begins work on a long-awaited national population and housing census, with a mandate to submit an interim report in three weeks.
The high-level group, inaugurated at the State House in Abuja, is expected to lay the foundation for Nigeria’s first census in nearly two decades.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, called the exercise essential for national development and credible governance.
“We cannot budget if we do not know how many we are,” he declared, urging the committee to anchor the census on technology, biometrics, and digitalisation.
Nigeria last conducted a census in 2006, recording 140.4 million people—71.3 million males and 69.0 million females.
Since then, a growing population and economic pressures have intensified calls for accurate data to drive policy, particularly in health, education, infrastructure, and security.
The committee, chaired by Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Senator Atiku Bagudu, is tasked with shaping a credible, tech-driven enumeration that aligns with global standards and national priorities.
He pledged to meet the three-week deadline for the interim report and echoed the President’s charge to think innovatively despite tough fiscal constraints.
“We will recommend practical solutions, including how to mobilise both domestic and international resources,” Bagudu said, referencing the President’s earlier advice to cabinet members to work creatively with what is available.
Financing remains a core concern. President Tinubu called for collaboration across agencies and urged the committee to explore diverse funding avenues.
“Work with all relevant agencies, especially the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning,” he said. “The census must be technology-driven. Things have changed since the last time we conducted this exercise.”
Other committee members include 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.
Minister of Information Muhammed Idris, also on the committee, underscored that reliable data is fundamental to national progress. “A credible census is the bedrock for effective planning across every sector,” he said.
National Population Commission Chairman Nasir Isa Kwarra, who serves as the committee’s secretary, said groundwork is already underway in conjunction with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
He noted that the focus has been on identifying needs and preparing recommendations to enable the President to greenlight the main exercise.
Kwarra assured the public that the NPC remains committed to delivering a transparent and technologically enabled census to guide future development.
He said the formation of this committee marks a pivotal step toward updating Nigeria’s demographic data, adding that, it is a move seen as vital for informed decision-making and sustainable growth in a changing economic and security landscape.
