President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated a high-level Presidential Committee on the forthcoming National Population and Housing Census, giving it a three-week deadline to submit an interim report.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the inauguration ceremony held at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, the President described the census as a cornerstone for national planning and development, especially in areas such as healthcare, education, security, and economic policy.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu emphasized the need for both domestic and international funding support to ensure a successful exercise, while underscoring the importance of a technology-driven process to guarantee credible, verifiable results.
“This enumeration must be technology-driven, with biometric data capture and digitalisation at the heart of it. Times have changed since 2006. For this exercise to be accurate, credible, and useful, it must reflect our current capabilities,” Tinubu stated.
The last national census was conducted in 2006, nearly two decades ago, recording a population of 140,431,790, comprising 71,345,488 males and 69,086,302 females.
President Tinubu directed the committee to collaborate closely with all relevant agencies, particularly the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, highlighting that no national budget can be effectively designed without accurate population data.
Chairman of the committee and Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, assured the President of the committee’s readiness to meet the three-week deadline. Bagudu reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to innovative and resource-efficient governance.
He noted that despite global economic headwinds, Nigeria is experiencing improvements in areas such as foreign exchange stability and overall economic growth under Tinubu’s leadership.
The minister added that the committee will propose actionable strategies to secure funding from both domestic and international sources for the execution of the census.
Also speaking at the event, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, emphasized the importance of accurate data collection, noting that a credible census forms the bedrock of effective governance and sectoral planning.
The newly inaugurated committee is expected to lay the groundwork for what could be Nigeria’s most comprehensive and digitally advanced census to date.
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