The National Population Commission (NPC) is ready to conduct the national population and housing census, but it needs President Bola Tinubu’s consent for a date, according to its chairman, Isa Kwarra.
Mr Kwarra made the remarks on Monday in Abuja during a media briefing to commemorate World Population Day 2024, which is observed every year on July 11. This year’s celebration is titled “Embracing the Power of Inclusive Data: Towards a Resilient and Equitable Future for All.”
Mr Kwarra stated that the United Nations advises that censuses be held every ten years. “The 2020 census round will end this year. We will develop a hypothesis to ensure that the census is conducted before the 2020 cycle of the census ends.
“I want to believe that we will get it right; we are just waiting on the president to give us the date, and the commission is always prepared to do it once we have a date declared by the president,” says Mr. Kwarra. He stated that extra hands could be hired using the available resources, and that the exercise would be robust.
“The resources ought to have the capacity to enlist additional personnel to assist us in carrying out a comprehensive census that will yield inclusive data that is not only verifiable but also acceptable to all.” “We can do this if we get started now; the 2020 census gives us a chance to extend until April 2025 at the very least,” the NPC chair stated.
Nonetheless, he stated that because that was the original plan for the exercise, the commission would like to conduct it in November. Speaking on the significance of the census, Mr. Kwarra stated that it will provide the country with the necessary data, facts, and knowledge to measure and forecast anticipated demographic shifts. “Also, to implement interventions that will eliminate barriers and inhibitions and create opportunities for progress,” he said.
According to Gifty Addico, the Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), timely censuses will supply the baseline data required to monitor the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ advancement. Speaking through Koessan Kuawu, the deputy country representative, Mr. Addico added that it would also assist in developing policies that catered to the various requirements of Nigerians. “Progress made in Nigeria has been obscured by our inability to generate timely, inclusive data through exercises such as the housing and population census, to the point that outdated data is being used to gauge our progress toward the SDGs.
Therefore, a timely census of the population and housing stock is a vital opportunity. “We must make sure that our data generation exercises are prioritized, carried out on time, and on a regular basis as we get ready to enter a new round of population and housing censuses in 2030,” he stated. Ejike Orji, the chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), stated that Nigeria would suffer greatly if the census were not conducted despite having pledged more than 70% of the resources required.
Therefore, in order to ensure that this occurs, we are pleading with the authorities. We’re in trouble if it doesn’t happen,” Mr. Orji remarked. Adeyemi Adeniran, the Statistician-General of the Federation, addressed the day’s theme and said that Nigeria’s population, which was dynamic and diversified, offered both enormous prospects and important difficulties. But he added that inclusive and complete data was what the country required in order to successfully utilize the demographic landscape to its fullest. (NAN)
