• Awaits proclamation from Presidency
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Federal Government will conduct a national census, next year, with activities kicking off as soon as President Muhammadu Buhari makes a proclamation to that effect.
Already, discussions are ongoing between the National Population Commission (NPC) and the Presidency on the way forward.
The last census was conducted in 2006. Chairman of the census committee at the commission, Dr Macdonald Ipalabo, made the disclosure at a press briefing heralding the 2021 World Population Day, organised by the NPC and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), yesterday, in Abuja.
He observed that the Commission is about to conclude the Enumeration Area Demarcation Exercise (EAD), which is the precursor to the census as it provides the basic frame the Commission needs to work with.
He explained that the EAD would be concluded in about two months and that the NPC has finished work on the budget and timeline required for a credible and accurate count.
“We are hopeful that we will get a proclamation from the President to go into a full blown census exercise next year. The census will hopefully be conducted next year. But it goes with a whole lot of other logistics and there is nothing much we can do until the EAD is concluded and funds made available for the census proper,” he said.
Also speaking, the Director General of the Commission, Dr Ghaji Ismaila Bello, said the Commission is fully ready any time government gives it the directive to go ahead with the exercise.
