The much-awaited National Population and Housing Census will now be held in November 2024.
Nigeria has been brandishing an estimated figure for the last few years, as the last census was conducted in 2006 by the National Population Commission, which gave a population figure of 140 million.
The immediate past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had planned to conduct another census in 2022 but the programme was later moved to 2023.
The exercise was suspended indefinitely by Buhari, a few days before his leaving office, saying that he would allow President Bola Tinubu to announce new dates for the headcount.
Recently, Tinubu pledged his administration’s support for the next census, asserting its importance in crucial aspects of national planning.
Tinubu pledged when he launched the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System alongside the National Geospatial Data Repository and the National Coordination Committee on CRVS in Abuja on November 8, 2023.
“The population remains the greatest asset of the nation in her development process.
“Collecting accurate and reliable information on the size, distribution, composition, and characteristics of the population is an essential governance activity that is consistent with our Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The commission will therefore be supported in the conduct of the next census,” Tinubu affirmed.
But with about six months in office, the President has yet to announce a new date.
The NPC Chairman, Nasir Kwarra, has spent about N200bn on preparations for the 2023 population and housing census.
Meanwhile, speaking with our correspondent on Saturday, one of the NPC officials who confidently spoke to our correspondent based on anonymity said the census would be held in November next year, adding that the Presidency had been briefed on its budget.
He said, “We have met with the President, and we are already discussing. The presidency has looked at our budget. The census will be conducted in November next year.
“We are finalising the budget to have a common understanding with the presidency.”
Meanwhile, NPC is seeking N693.3m in the 2024 budget to conduct the postponed census.
It was observed that there were other census-related allocations of about N122.2m in the proposed 2024 budget.
Other census-related allocations for 2024 includes: National population data bank, Nigerian population database management system geo-portal hosting of population website and web portal: N20,000,000, preparation of EAD concept manual: N200,000, conduct second pretest: N500,000
Stakeholders conference to present 2018 census instrument: N5,000,000, census in schools: N5,000,000, development of small area /EA level database for spatial analysis and dissemination: N500,000, and field demarcation in 774 local government areas: N500,000.
Other allocations are for Intercensal population activities (intercensal survey, population projections at national and sub-national levels, sentinel survey, Nigerian demographic, and health survey, etc) and development of a small area-level database for spatial analysis and dissemination: N5,000,000, census publicity and advocate (publicity, information, communication, DNA enlightenment for population programs, through print electronic media, etc: N60,000,000
Census research, documentation, and archiving (research on historical events, special populations e.g. herdsmen, fishermen, homeless persons, migrant farmers, etc): N20,000,000, cartographic consumables for enumeration area demarcation exercise (umbrella, etc): N500,000, and the commemoration of world population day/annual population census day: N5,000,000.
Text except headline courtesy of Punch
