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Fred Itua, Abuja
The Senate has introduced an amendment Bill to alter Section 213 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to give legal backing to a 10-year compulsory conduct of a national census.
Tagged “A Bill to alter the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 to specify the time frame for the conduct of population census,” the move is in line with the United Nations’ recommendations that a national census be conducted at least once in 10 years.
Nigeria’s last national census was conducted in 2006 when President Olusegun Obasanjo held sway. Since then, we have had Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goddluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari as presidents.
The National Population Commission, in 2015, waited for a national proclamation from President Buhari to enable them kick off the census, but he did not issue any.
According to the proposed amendment, the new law will provide for the time frame for the conduct of population census every ten years after publication by the President of a population census report by the National Population Commission.
The Bill is sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo Agege, who doubles as chairman of the Constitution Review Committee.
