By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Hon Nasir Isa Kwarra, yesterday in the National Assembly hinted that biometric model of headcount, would be adopted to conduct the next national census in the country.
He stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on National Identity and Population, chaired by Senator Abdul Ningi.
The federal lawmakers complained bitterly about lack of population headcount in the country for the past 19 years.
They lamented that the development was turning Nigeria to a laughing stock in the comity of nations.
The senators wondered why the country would lack credible data for proper planning and be relying on trial by error projections.
Ningi said the exercise should hold this year and that the Senate would officially write President Bola Tinubu, on the need to conduct the exercise this year.
Almost all the members of the committee during the session, lamented over lack of head counts in the country for the past 19 years .
Senator Diket Plang (APC Plateau Central), said that he felt bad as a Nigerian and leader about his country not having credible data on population of its citizenry .
Plang said, “I feel very bad that we are still living on estimated population figures. I also feel bad that we are still postulating and relying on data supplied by foreign bodies which is more or less, demeaning us among comity of nations.
He said, “We want to know our population. Nigerians should be counted this year.”
Making similar lamentation, the Deputy Minority leader of the Senate who doubles as Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Olalere Oyewumi (PDP Osun West), said NPC should put in everything in place for the population headcount to hold this year.
According to him, to prevent what happened in 2022 during President Muhammadu Buhari from repeating itself, the population exercise must be held this year because 2026 will be too close to 2027 general election.
Oyewumi said, “2025 budget of NPC should revolve around population census , which must be done this year because the demographic characteristics of the population figures being bandied about the country now are not known.
“NPC should get its act together for the President to make proclamation on the population census which in itself , will facilitate provisions for the desired money.”
Emphasizing the importance of the exercise, Ningi, the Chairman of the committee, said the committee will through the President of the Senate, write President Bola Tinibu on the need for the exercise this year .
However in his response , the NPC Chairman, said the President is not against population head count but wants it done biometrically.
“President Bola Tinubu is obviously on the same page with members of this committee on the need for population head count.
He said, “The assignment he has given us is that, all machineries and facilities should be put in place for the very important exercise to be done biometrically.
“The biometric model will be done in a way that at the end of the day, nobody will say fishes were counted in the riverine areas and cows counted in the North.”
The NPC boss said in 2024 a total budgetary provision for the commission was N12.7billion out of which N1.17billion was earmarked for capital vote, N818.9million for overhead and N10.8billion for personnel cost .
For the 2025 fiscal year, the NPC Chairman said N18.2billion was proposed , out of which N1.17billion earmarked for overhead and N17.7billion for capital votes .
The Committee accordingly approved the budgetary proposal .
