President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, expressed concern over delay in conducting another enumeration, even as he voiced support for accurate headcount by National Population Commission (NPC).
He, nevertheless, emphasised the need for the commission to be prudent in its assignment and work towards credible and reliable census data.
Tinubu, who spoke at the State House in Abuja, after receiving a briefing from NPC chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, urged the census chief to view the delay as opportunity to cash in on advantages of digital technology.
He said: ”It is disappointing that up until now, we have not been able to conduct another enumeration of our people. I hope this delay will be converted to great opportunity in this electronic and digital age.”
”The challenge is yours and I hope that during the demarcation you did, you would have noticed migration of people to urban centers because of extreme poverty and unemployment.
”Digitalising the process will make your job easier and I don’t see why we don’t, by now, have a reliable database in Nigeria, to identify ourselves and ascertain our numbers for planning purposes and in time of disaster.
”I have listened to you and we will support you. Accuracy and integrity of your data is very important to Nigerians and for our national economic development programmes. We will support you, but you have to be prudent and determined to make a name for yourself. “
In his remarks, the NPC chairman said the commission was on the verge of conducting final training for the census before it became caught up with transition programme of the new government and funding challenges, necessitating postponement.
He briefed the President on Implementation Status of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, requesting issuance of a proclamation for a new census date, later this year or early next year.
Kwarra also highlighted funding challenges faced by the commission, saying it was waiting on the President to support NPC and give go-ahead for conduct of the census.
