Kehinde Fajobi
The Senate has committed to ensuring that a national population census is conducted before the current administration ends in 2027.
This pledge was reaffirmed during a budget defence session with National Population Commission Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra.
Senator Abdul Ningi, Chairman of the Committee on National Identity Management and Population, stated, “We will not rest on our oars until a census is conducted before this administration ends.”
He also revealed plans to meet with President Bola Tinubu soon to stress the urgency of conducting the census in 2025.
“We will soon engage the President on this matter and formally write to him through the Senate President, highlighting the need for a census this year,” he added.
Senator Olalere Oyewunmi also emphasised the importance of pushing the President to prioritise the census.
Senator Diket Plang expressed frustration over Nigeria’s reliance on estimated population figures, which hinder effective planning.
“It’s disheartening that we are still working with estimates in this modern age. How can we plan without knowing the exact population? It’s sad that 2024 passed without achieving 90 percent performance,” he said, urging for a definitive count by 2025.
Kwarra explained that the census budget is still pending, as they are working to integrate a biometric component into the process.
“We are waiting to incorporate the biometric aspect into this year’s budget and conduct a test run before meeting with the President,” he said, adding that the President prefers a biometric model over the traditional approach.