The Federal Government has given reasons why President Bola Tinubu is yet to issue the presidential proclamation for the conduct of national population and housing census in the country.
Nigeria was at the verge of conducting population and housing census at the twilight of President Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2023, before the administration decided to leave it for the Tinubu administration, which came to power on May 29, 2023.
The country’s last national population and housing census was in 2006, which is about 20 years ago.
Minister of Information and National Orientation Alhaji Mohammed Idris, who spoke in Abuja on Tuesday when he received the management National Population Commission (NPC) led by the Chairman, Dr Aminu Yusuf, said President Tinubu “is carefully aligning all requirements to ensure the exercise meets global standards.”
Alhaji Idris in a statement by Rabiu Ibrahim, his Special Assistant (Media), explained that the president is committed to conducting a census that Nigerians and the international community could trust, adding that the Federal Government is prioritising process, legality, and credibility over haste.
He admitted that credible data remains the foundation of national planning, stressing that without accurate population figures, effective development planning becomes impossible.
The minister urged the NPC to continue leveraging on government-owned media platforms for sustained public enlightenment.
He assured that the Ministry of Information and its agencies, such as the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON), and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), would continue to mobilise Nigerians and drive nationwide advocacy whenever the president proclaims a census date.
The NPC Chairman, Dr. Yusuf, said the commission is ready, with its systems, logistics, ICT infrastructure, and personnel, to guarantee efficiency, transparency, and credibility once a new census date is announced.
He called for sustained access to government media platforms to deepen public understanding of census participation, civil registration, and vital statistics, describing public trust as central to the success of population management in Nigeria.
The NPC Chairman commended the ministry for its consistent support and leadership in public mobilisation efforts before the postponement of the exercise in 2023.
