Tinubu to set up census committee

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has disclosed that he will set up a committee to align the census budget to his administration’s financial realities.

President Tinubu stated this at a meeting with officials of the National Population Commission (NPC) at the Presidential Villa on Monday.

He said the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) must be part of the review.

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“We must ascertain who we are, how many we are, and how to manage our data. Without an accurate census, we can’t successfully plan for employment, agriculture, and food sovereignty. So many problems come up without accurate data,” President Tinubu said.

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He reiterated his commitment to ensuring accurate and reliable figures from the national census to strengthen development planning and improve Nigerians’ living conditions through more efficient social security.

President Tinubu noted that government incentives, such as the sale and distribution of fertilisers, could be easily improved with more reliable data and demographics.

The President told the delegation that biometric capturing should be central to the process, with multiple identification features, including facial and voice recognition.

“We should work on our financial muscle well in place to lift our burden before we go and meet development partners for the census. We should work out the figures before discussing the role of development partners.

“This stop-and-go activity on the census cannot work with me. So we better have a definite path. I will set up a committee for you to look at the issues critically and do a source and application of resources. Where can we get help, and what can we lift before we embark on proclamation.”

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said the census data would be central to future planning and resource distribution.

In his presentation, NPC chairman Nasir Isa Kwarra, said the last census took place in 2006, and 19 years later, the figures were no longer relevant in planning, particularly for key sectors that directly impact the population.

He said 760,000 tablets had been acquired and stored with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), assuring the commission would engage with development partners to seek support whenever President Tinubu proclaimed the new census.