President Bola Tinubu has set an ambitious three-week deadline for a newly inaugurated committee to deliver its interim report on Nigeria’s forthcoming national population and housing census, okaynews.com reports.
The high-level committee, launched Wednesday at the State House in Abuja, will oversee the country’s first census since 2006.
During the ceremony, where he was represented by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, President Tinubu emphasized financing as a critical factor and urged the committee to explore both domestic and international funding sources.
“Work with all relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. This ministry has to take charge of this because you cannot budget if you do not know how many we are,” Tinubu stated. “We expect you will touch on the technology area because the census must be technology-driven. Things have changed since the last time that we conducted this exercise. The enumeration has to be technology-driven with biometrics and digitalisation.”
The committee is chaired by Budget and Economic Planning Minister Senator Atiku Bagudu, who assured of the group’s readiness to meet the deadline. He recalled the President’s previous advice to ministers to think creatively despite economic constraints.
National Population Commission Chairman Nasir Isa Kwarra, who will serve as committee secretary, confirmed that preparations have already begun in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. The last census in 2006 recorded a population of 140,431,790 Nigerians.
