Follow Us on Google
As a development journalist, this writer, in this space, on several occasions, canvassed strongly for a proper census. On many occasions, the argument had been that Nigeria needs a reliable headcount. But such compelling propriety for a census does not, and must not, shoo the nation into the steep and slippery slope of yet another contentious or censored census.
If Nigeria must have a census, a good 17 years after the last census in 2006, such exercise must be credible, scientific and verifiable. It must be a digital headcount targeted at counting human beings only, not goats and chickens. This has been my stand.
Nigeria has had analogue censuses these past years. They all ended up as end-products of some people’s infantile imagination. The 2006 census, much like the previous ones, pit a part of the country against the other. There was heated debate over the population of Lagos and that of Kano, the two most populous states. A digital census could have helped to avert such needless debate and erase doubts about the authenticity of the exercise.
This is why the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to postpone the census and allow the incoming government to determine the new date is highly commendable. No doubt, Nigeria needs a census, a credible one. Such postponement should, however, not mean cancellation. I shudder at persons, including intellectuals, who question the need for a census at this time. Some argue that because it’s an election year and insecurity is still writ large, Nigeria should perish the idea of a census. Really? Yet, the same people want Nigeria to compete with other nations and even overtake some in development ranking. This same people participated vociferously in the 2023 general elections which held within the same ambience of insecurity and socio-economic discontent.
Reason: If the nation can conduct general elections with all the logistics in a presumably febrile, insecure environment, the same nation can conduct a headcount within the same space under the same circumstances.
Every serious nation takes the issue of census seriously. The more Nigeria continues to toy with the issue of headcount, the more she announces to the world that she’s not serious with the critical issue of national development. How can a nation develop if she does not plan? How can you plan if you do not know how many you are; if you do not know the demographics of your population? Nigeria is reputed to have a youth bulge. Good indicator of an assured future if those youths are empowered, skilled-up and equipped with the relevant cognitive training. But, hey, how can you tell the nearly accurate number of these youths, where they live, their various age median without a credible census? What reliable data do you present to foreign investors to help them determine where and what sector to invest in? It smacks of primitivity, and something unbecoming of a 21st century being, to dismiss the idea of a census for a nation in this era.
The world has moved from kilobytes to zettabytes of data management. Data is ranked as the new oil. Smart nations are working hard to preserve their data. Some even spy to steal and compromise the data of other nations. This has triggered a whole new concept in data curation: data nationalism. Every reasonable and progressive nation wants to manage her data and warehouse them rather than leaving them in the hand of a competitor. Generating and managing your own data is what census helps a nation to achieve.
In this age of , GPT, Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality (AR), among other digital innovations, the least a nation can do for herself is to conduct a credible headcount to determine her actual population as well as the demographics and distribution of such population. All progressive nations of the world conduct census religiously at frequencies of every 5 and 10 years as may be applicable to such nations. Nigeria cannot afford to pretend that she can effectively plan without establishing her population. To plan for national development without cognizance of the population is akin to performing surgery in the dark; a recipe for unmitigated disaster.
Should a nation conduct her census in an election year? Yes, many countries have had elections and censuses conducted same year. Election is not war. It’s only in Nigeria that people perceive election as Armageddon; a battle of attrition. It’s not and should never be. President Buhari was fully aware of the 2023 elections when he sanctioned census to take place same year. The National Population Commission (NPC) was aware of the general elections when it went ahead to award critical aspects of the contract to and even take delivery of the personal digital assistants (PDAs) from its technical partners. Already, both the tech partners and NPC have done very well in terms of preparation, recruitment and training of ad hoc staff. What is outstanding is the key issue of advocacy, enlightenment and publicity.
This, perhaps, may have informed the decision of President Buhari to shelve the census and pass it on to his successor.
A Presidency statement announcing the postponement said: “In arriving at the decision to postpone the census, the meeting (Federal Executive Council) reiterated the critical need for the conduct of a Population and Housing Census, 17 years after the last census, to collect up-to-date data that will drive the developmental goals of the country and improve the living standard of the Nigerian people.
“The president noted that with the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country, the conduct of first and second pre-tests, the recruitment and training of ad hoc workers, procurement of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and ICT infrastructures, appreciable progress has been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
“He also commended the methodology being put in place by the commission to conduct an accurate and reliable census, especially the massive deployment of technology that is capable of delivering world-class Census and laying a sustainable basis for future censuses.”
From the foregoing, it’s obvious that the census cup is more than half full. It’s almost running over. What is left is the critical matter of advocacy and public sensitization. Under the guidance of the incoming government, this is what the NPC should direct its energy and resources to achieve. With adequate public enlightenment, Nigeria should be done with her first ever digital census by early August this year.
It is achievable. But before then, we must commend President Buhari for confronting the big elephant in the room. It is irresponsible parenting not to know how many children under your care. That is what Nigeria has done these past 17 years; siring children without taking stock. This is not the testimonial of a progressive nation.
Let reason prevail over unreason. Give us a credible census.
