By Ayo Ayodele
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially inaugurated a high-powered Presidential Committee on the forthcoming National Population and Housing Census, charging members to submit an interim report within three weeks.
The inauguration, held at the Presidential Villa and presided over by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila on behalf of the President, marked a crucial step toward what Tinubu described as a “technology-driven, credible and development-focused enumeration exercise.”
The committee, chaired by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, is expected to provide strategic guidance and propose actionable steps for the successful conduct of Nigeria’s first census in nearly two decades. The last census, held in 2006, recorded a population of over 140 million.
President Tinubu, in his remarks, underscored the importance of the census in driving policy decisions across sectors such as healthcare, education, security, and economic planning. “We cannot budget if we do not know how many we are,” he emphasized, calling for data-backed governance and resource allocation.
He further urged the committee to explore both domestic and international funding options, considering the scale and sensitivity of the exercise. “Think creatively, especially in this economic climate. We must fund this crucial national project efficiently,” the President said.
A major highlight of the committee’s mandate is to ensure the census is rooted in modern technology. Tinubu stressed the importance of digitization, biometrics, and the integration of data systems to ensure accuracy and prevent manipulation.
“The world has moved on from manual headcounts. This census must leverage technology in all stages—from enumeration to verification,” he said.
Besides Senator Bagudu, other members of the committee include the Ministers of Finance and Information, the Chairmen of the National Population Commission and FIRS, the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission, the Principal Secretary to the President, and the Senior Special Assistant on Administration and Operations.
NPC Chairman Nasir Isa Kwarra, who will serve as Secretary of the Committee, expressed the commission’s readiness. “We’ve made significant progress in identifying operational needs and are working closely with relevant ministries to deliver a reliable and transparent census,” he said.
Minister of Information Muhammed Idris emphasized that credible data is foundational to national development. “Without accurate population data, we are planning in the dark,” he noted.
With just three weeks to submit its interim recommendations, the committee has a tight timeline and high expectations to meet. Observers believe this ambitious deadline reflects Tinubu’s urgency to kickstart an exercise that has been delayed repeatedly due to economic and logistical constraints.
This latest move by the Tinubu administration signals a strong political will to finally conduct a census that meets international standards—one that could redefine the landscape of policy-making and national development in Nigeria for years to come.