FG announces date for population census

Indications emerged on Thursday that the national population census may hold next year.

The census, which is to hold every ten years, was held last in Nigeria in 2006.

The National Council of State which met in Abuja today okayed the census to hold in April 2023 after the general election.

Director-General of the National Population Commission, NPC, Nasir Isa-Kwarra, disclosed this to State House Correspondents after the Council of State meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Isa-Kwarra also said the NPC would be conducting a pilot census from June 2022 after political parties must have concluded their pre-general election activities.

The NPC boss disclosed that the commission will deploy high technology for the exercise.

He said through census, data is generated for planning, noting that the data currently being used are mere projections and obsolete.

Isa-Kwarra said: “It is very crucial because I have highlighted that the census is a very important exercise for the nation.

Statistician General Of The Federation, Dr Simon Harry Dies

“Because through census we generate the data that we use for policymaking, for planning, for development, by the three tiers of government, and the private sector, they all need this.

“If you are a private sector, you’re producing something, certainly, you need to know the population of an area if you want to create a market there.

“So census data is very crucial, very important. Because, the data we’ve been using are just projections, estimations. And are sort of obsolete, we need the actual census data to use for our planning.“