Why We Should Hold Census Soon – NPC

Having gone 17 years without conducting a comprehensive population and housing census across the nation, the National Population Commission (NPC) has stressed the imperative for Nigeria to initiate the process for a new census expeditiously.

Addressing participants at a retreat for the Chairman and Members of the House Committee on Population in the House of Representatives, NPC Chairman Nasir Isa-Kwarra emphasized that Nigeria faces a significant drawback due to the absence of current data, hindering the prospects of sustainable development for the nation.

Represented by the Federal Commissioner overseeing Niger State, Muhammad Dattijo Usman, Isa-Kwarra conveyed that: “Population is a critical factor in a nation’s efforts towards achieving sustainable development.

The people are both the agents and beneficiaries of the development process. Knowledge of the country’s Population in terms of size, distribution and socio-economic characteristics is required for planning purposes.

“This, therefore, makes the conduct of Census an essential governance activity. The imperatives for the conduct of the next Population and housing census rest on the following grounds: Nigeria has one of the fastest-growing populations, with a growth rate of 3.2% and an estimated population of about 216 million. Capturing the essential dynamics of such a population requires the regular conduct of censuses, preferably every 10 years, as recommended by the United Nations.

“The country’s inability to conduct a population census in the last 17 years has created an information vacuum as the data from the last Census conducted in 2006 has been rendered less useful for planning purposes.

“Preparations for the conduct of the next Census have reached an advanced stage with the demarcation of all the LGAs in the country into enumeration areas. The demarcation exercise began in 2015, and further delay in conducting the next Census will make the products thereof less optimal for the next Census in view of the rapidly changing environmental landscape and settlement patterns in the country.

“There is a need to ensure that implementation of poverty alleviation programmes are driven by current data from the next Census. This will improve the implementation of these programmes that target vulnerable populations and ensure we ‘Leave No One Behind’.

“The continuous usage of the 2006 Census and projections for the estimation of Nigeria’s Population has created a data gap in global Population which does not do credit to the nation’s reputation. Nigeria is the seventh most populous nation on earth and will be the third most populous country after China and India in 2050 going by the current rate of growth. Relying on an estimate from a census conducted 16 years ago for a country that hosts a significant proportion of the world population is counterproductive.

“While the Commission is mindful of the current economic recession, which has reduced revenue at the disposal of the government against the background of competing demands, the Commission is convinced that conducting the next census is one huge investment the nation must make to launch Nigeria into the path of economic prosperity through proper planning and optimal allocation of resources”.

Expressing optimism, the head of the NPC conveyed confidence that the prevailing security challenges afflicting the nation would be addressed and alleviated before the commencement of the upcoming census.