Senate Pushes For National Census Before 2027

The Senate has renewed its commitment to ensuring a national population census is conducted before the end of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in 2027.

Naija News reports that this pledge was made during a budget defence session with the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa Kwarra.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Identity Management and Population, Senator Abdul Ningi, emphasized the importance of the census, declaring that the Senate would not relent until it is conducted.

“We will not rest on our oars until a census is conducted before this administration ends,” Ningi stated.

He revealed that the Senate is preparing to engage President Bola Tinubu to emphasize the urgency of conducting the census in 2025.

“We will soon meet with the President and formally write to him through the Senate President, highlighting the need for a census this year,” Ningi added.

Senator Olalere Oyewunmi also underscored the need to pressure the President to prioritize the census, while Senator Diket Plang decried the country’s reliance on population estimates.

“It’s disheartening that we are still working with estimates in this modern age. How can we plan without knowing the exact population?” Plang asked.

He called for a definitive headcount, stating, “We need to know our population, urging for a definitive count by 2025.”

The NPC Chairman explained that the census budget is yet to be finalized as the commission plans to integrate biometric technology into the process.

“We are waiting to incorporate the biometric aspect into this year’s budget and conduct a test run before meeting with the President. The President prefers a biometric model for the headcount, moving away from the conventional approach,” Kwarra explained.