• Tinubu inaugurates members

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday inaugurated a   Presidential Committee on the National Population and Housing Census.

The eight-member committee, headed by Budget and National Planning Minister  Atiku Bagudu, was charged by Tinubu to deliver an interim report within  21 days.

  It is also to develop a roadmap for the execution of the national census, including exploring domestic and international financing options to support the large-scale undertaking.  

Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir   Kwarra will serve as the secretary of the committee which has Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun; his   Information counterpart, Mohammed Idris; Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)  Zacch Adedeji as members. 

Others are Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote;   Principal Secretary to the President and   Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations (Office of the Chief of Staff) Oyinade Nathan-Marsh.

The inauguration which held at the State House in Abuja, underscores the administration’s renewed commitment to conducting Nigeria’s first national census in nearly two decades.

Nigeria’s last census in 2006  put the number of Nigerians at  140,431,790, comprising  71,345,488 males and 69,086,302 females.

The President, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila,   described census as a cornerstone for national development.

He stressed its importance in evidence-based policy making across sectors such as healthcare, education, security, and economic planning.

Tinubu, according to a statement by  his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga   told the team that the exercise must be technology-driven and supported by biometric systems as well as digital tools to ensure accuracy and accountability.

The statement reads partly:  “Work with all relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. This ministry has to take charge of this because you cannot budget if you do not know how many we are.

 “We expect you will touch on the technology area because the census must be technology-driven. Things have changed since the last time that we conducted this exercise. The enumeration has to be technology-driven with biometrics and digitalisation.” 

The President directed the committee to work closely with relevant agencies, particularly the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which he said must “take charge” of the exercise given its critical role in resource allocation.

Bagudu assured the President that the committee would meet the three-week deadline and reiterated the administration’s ethos of creativity and efficiency even in the face of economic headwinds.

He cited improved macroeconomic indicators, such as foreign exchange stability, as signs of Nigeria’s resilience under   Tinubu’s leadership.

Information Minister  Idris emphasised that reliable data from a credible census is essential for effective governance and national planning.

NPC Chairman Kwarra revealed that preparatory work for the census had commenced.  

He said the commission was working with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and other stakeholders to identify key operational needs.

Kwarra reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to a transparent, inclusive, and technology-driven enumeration process that will lay the foundation for transformative development planning.

[TheNation]