The Nigerian Senate has promised to work towards the implementation of a national population census before the current government leaves office in 2027.
This pledge was restated during a budget defence meeting with Nasir Isa Kwarra, the chairman of the National Population Commission.
“We will not rest on our oars until a census is conducted before this administration ends,” stated Senator Abdul Ningi, the chairman of the Committee on National Identity Management and Population.
He disclosed that to emphasise the importance of holding the census in 2025, the Senate was getting ready to meet with President Bola Tinubu.
He declared, “We will formally write to the President through the Senate President, emphasising the need for a census this year, and we will engage the President on this matter shortly.”
Additionally, Senator Olalere Oyewunmi emphasised how crucial it is to exert pressure on the president to give the census top priority.
In a similar vein, Senator Diket Plang bemoaned the nation’s dependence on population estimates, which makes planning ineffective.
“The fact that we are still using estimations in this day and age is depressing. Without knowing the precise population, how can we make plans? The fact that 2024 ended without reaching 90 per cent performance is regrettable,” he said.
He asserted that “we must ascertain our population” and called for a conclusive count by 2025.
The head of the Population Commission clarified that because they intend to include a biometric component in the process, the census budget has not yet been decided.
“Before we meet with the president, we want to test the biometric component and include it in this year’s budget. In contrast to the traditional method, the President favours a biometric methodology for the headcount,” he stated.
