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In a renewed effort to address demographic data gaps, the Senate has pledged to prioritize the execution of a national population census before the current administration’s tenure expires in 2027.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a budget defense meeting with Nasir Isa Kwarra, the Chairman of the National Population Commission, who emphasized its significance.
The Chairman of the Committee on National Identity Management and Population, Senator Abdul Ningi, said, “We will not rest on our oars until a census is conducted before this administration ends”.
He revealed that the Senate was preparing to meet with President Bola Tinubu 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 said.
Senator Olalere Oyewunmi highlighted the pressing need for a census, advocating for concerted efforts to ensure the President prioritizes its implementation to support effective governance.
Lamenting the challenges of inaccurate population statistics, Senator Diket Plang criticized the continued reliance on estimates, stressing how this shortfall undermines comprehensive planning efforts.
Read also: 2025 Census: Ohanaeze Insists On Ethnic, Religious Inclusion
“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. According to him, we need to know our population, urging for a definitive count by 2025,” he said.
The population commission boss explained that the census budget is yet to be finalised, as they plan 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. The President prefers a biometric model for the headcount, moving away from the conventional approach,” he said.
