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From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and Heirs Holdings Group, Mr Tony Elumelu, has charged the National Population Commission (NPC) to leverage technology in conducting the forthcoming national census, so that the results will meet public acceptability criteria of a credible, transparent, verifiable and accessible effort that has universal coverage.
He made the remarks at the high-level donor engagement on Nigeria’s 2023 housing and population census held in Abuja on Monday.
According to him, there is a great need to get the census right since it determines how national resources are allocated.
“The upcoming census is a significant milestone in Nigeria’s development, as it provides an opportunity to collect accurate and reliable data on the country’s population and housing, which will serve as a vital tool for policymakers, private sector actors, and civil society organizations.
“The census will affect how we allocate resources in Nigeria and so many other important decisions, so it is important that the process is credible and above board.
“Today, Nigerian population estimates and demographic profile are unclear and projections debatable. Census figures and population distribution have unfortunately become politicized. Population figures have ramifications for revenue allocation, office allotment, legislative power and even elections. The stakes are therefore high for various interest groups – we need to act for our nation as a whole and the next generations. Nigeria needs a credible and extensive population enumeration exercise”, Elumelu stated.
He recalled that the last time a census was conducted in Nigeria was 2006, which recorded a population of 140 million people.
“Today, our population is estimated to be in excess of 200 million. It is projected that this figure will grow to 450 million by 2050, which could make Nigerian the third most populous country in the world
“For me this task is critical to our country’s future – if we do not know our population, we cannot properly plot our developmental path, our economic growth, our society’s goals.
“The government faces a herculean task of conducting a credible census in the very tight time frame allocated for the exercise.
It behoves on the National Population Commission to assuage such sentiments with an excellent census exercise”, he added.
He commended the Ministry of Finance for involving the global and private development organisations and the private sector in this year’s exercise.
He described it as a positive step towards achieving a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of our nation’s demographics.
