The newly inaugurated Chairman of the National Population Commission, Dr Aminu Yusuf, has pledged to conduct a national census that is transparent and acceptable to all Nigerians. Speaking shortly after taking the oath of office alongside two newly appointed federal commissioners, Yusuf emphasized that his primary focus is delivering a credible headcount that the public can trust.
“This country needs a transparent, acceptable census, which I have promised. I’ve taken an oath here with my commissioners. By the grace of God, we will be transparent in whatever we do, the conduct of the census, so that at the end of it all, it will be acceptable to Nigerians,” Dr Yusuf told State House correspondents.
Okay News reports that the new NPC Chairman expressed confidence in his team, highlighting the experience and versatility of his federal commissioners and the Commission’s director general. “With the team, with the calibre of team that I have as federal commissioners, [and] a very versatile and experienced director general, I don’t have any fear, because it’s a mandate that the President has given us, and he has given us a marching order. I have about four mandates, but I will talk on only one, which Nigerians know…when you hear about National Population Commission, we mostly only believe it is census. We have the mandate already of the Nigerian Population Commission. But as I’ve said, I only pick on census because that is what most Nigerians understand,” he said.
The last national population and housing census in Nigeria was conducted in November 2006, recording a population of 140,431,790, with 71,345,488 males and 69,086,302 females. Since that exercise, successive administrations have struggled to conduct a follow-up census due to logistical challenges, inadequate funding, and security concerns in certain regions.
Despite significant investment in modern technology, including digital mapping and biometric data capture, the census has been repeatedly delayed, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts under the previous administration were stalled, with a proposed N942 billion census budget being rejected by the President, who instead demanded cost-cutting measures such as the involvement of youth corps members.
Under the current administration, the Federal Government has continued to face uncertainties regarding the census schedule, methodology, and how best to count mobile populations, including internally displaced persons. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emphasized the need for a definitive plan during a February 24, 2025, meeting with National Population Commission officials, stating, “This stop-and-go activity on the census cannot work with me. So we better have a definite path.”
To address these challenges, a high-level census committee was inaugurated on April 16, 2025, with a directive to submit an interim report within three weeks. The committee is tasked with aligning census plans to the government’s financial realities, ensuring a more feasible and transparent process.
