Today, 16th April 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu officially inaugurated a high-level Committee on the forthcoming national Population and Housing Census at the State House, Abuja, emphasizing its crucial role in national development. The Committee is tasked with ensuring that the upcoming census is timely, credible, and aligned with the country’s financial realities.
President Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, urged the Committee to approach its work with urgency, aiming to submit an interim report within three weeks to inform the census timeline and funding readiness. The Committee is expected to review the census budget, propose funding sources, and recommend a viable census date while ensuring coordination among relevant institutions.
The President said that census is crucial for national development, highlighting the strategic importance of accurate population data for effective policy formulation, equitable resource distribution, and informed decision-making across various sectors.
Noting that the last census was conducted in 2006, nearly two decades ago, he stressed the urgency for updated demographic data to address contemporary challenges in food security, infrastructure, healthcare, and education.
President Tinubu stressed the pivotal role of a technology-driven process in ensuring credible and verifiable results and the need for collaboration among all relevant agencies and stakeholders.
Underscoring the critical financing factor in the exercise, the President enjoined the members to look at domestic and even international resources.
“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 to enhance transparency and accuracy,” he said.
In closing, President Tinubu called on the committee to conduct their responsibilities with diligence and patriotism, highlighting Nigeria’s reliance on their efforts to deliver a census that meets global standards and supports inclusive growth.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, who chairs the Presidential Committee on Population and Housing Census, assured the President that the committee will deliver its report within the three-week deadline.
The minister recalled President Tinubu’s advice to ministers during their retreat in 2003, urging them to think creatively and work with the resources available, even under harsh economic conditions.
Bagudu noted that despite global economic challenges, Nigeria is making steady progress under President Tinubu’s leadership, citing improved foreign exchange stability and a positive growth trajectory.
He said the Committee will recommend practical solutions, including strategies for mobilising domestic and international resources to fund the census.
The Minister of Information, Alhaji Muhammed Idris Malagi, also a committee member, emphasised that accurate data is critical for planning across all sectors and that a credible census is the foundation for such data.
The Chairman of National Population Commission (NPC) Chairman, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra, who will also serve as the Committee Secretary, said the Commission has already begun preparations for the national Population and Housing Census in collaboration with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and other relevant stakeholders.
According to him, the focus has been on identifying key requirements and laying the groundwork necessary for the President to make an informed decision on the actual conduct of the census.
Hon. Kwarra assured Nigerians that the National Population Commission remains committed to ensuring a credible, technology-driven enumeration that will support effective national planning and development.
The eight-member committee also includes the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji; Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote; the Principal Private Secretary to the President, Hakeem Muri Okunola; and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations (Office of the Chief of Staff), Mrs Nathan-Marsh.
This inauguration follows President Tinubu’s directive to establish a committee to review the census budget and align it with the government's current financial realities, which was discussed during his meeting with NPC Officials on 24th February 2025.
