Nigeria’s long-awaited census nears reality as Tinubu sets up budget review

Nigeria is set to take a major step toward conducting a long-overdue national population and housing census with biometric and digital components, nearly two decades after its last headcount in 2006.

President Bola Tinubu, in a meeting at the State House with officials from the National Population Commission (NPC), reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to an accurate and reliable census that will drive national development.

He also announced plans to establish a committee to align the census budget with Nigeria’s current financial realities.

“We must ascertain who we are, how many we are, and how to manage our data. Without an accurate census, we can’t successfully plan for employment, agriculture, and food sovereignty,” Tinubu stated.

He also announced plans to establish a committee to align the census budget with Nigeria’s current financial realities.

“We must ascertain who we are, how many we are, and how to manage our data. Without an accurate census, we can’t successfully plan for employment, agriculture, and food sovereignty,” Tinubu stated.

The President noted that biometric data collection, including facial and voice recognition, must be central to the census process.

He also directed that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) be integrated into the planning process to ensure data harmonization across government agencies.

“This stop-and-go activity on the census cannot work with me. We must have a definite path. I will set up a committee to critically examine the issues and determine what we can fund before reaching out to development partners,” Tinubu added.