NPC Chairman, Isa Kwarra made this statement on Monday during a media conference in Abuja, held to mark the upcoming World Population Day on July 11, 2024.

This year’s celebration is themed “Embracing the Power of Inclusive Data Towards a Resilient and Equitable Future for All”.

Kwarra highlighted the United Nations’ recommendation for countries to conduct a census every 10 years.

“I believe we will get it right. We are just waiting for the President to set the date, and the Commission is fully prepared to proceed once we have that declaration,” he said.

He emphasized the need for additional resources to recruit extra personnel to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive census.

“The resources should be able to recruit extra hands to help us conduct a robust census that will provide inclusive data that is not just verifiable, but will be acceptable by all.”

Kwarra also mentioned the possibility of extending the census period to April 2025, as per the 2020 round of census guidelines, but expressed a preference for carrying out the exercise in November, as initially planned.

This decision was reached on Wednesday during a parliamentary session following a motion presented by Honourable Dominic Okafor.

Okafor’s motion brought to the lawmakers’ attention the significant sum of 200 billion naira that has been expended on the census.

However, there was a notable difference in opinion among the lawmakers regarding the feasibility of conducting the census this year, primarily due to ongoing security challenges.

President Muhammadu Buhari had previously approved the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, originally scheduled for May 3 to 7.

The new date for the census will be determined by the incoming administration.

The census, initially planned for May 3 to 7, 2023, was indefinitely deferred by former President Muhammadu Buhari in April.

This decision was made after a meeting with key members of the Federal Executive Council and the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa-Kwarra, and his team.

Kwarra requested the release of the allocated N31 billion capital allocation from the 2023 budget to fund preparatory activities for the census.

Additionally, he sought approval from President Tinubu for an extra N225.2 billion to cover training and fieldwork allowances, retraining of trainers, and the conduct of a second-class Trial Census. The total estimated cost of the census was pegged at N546.72 billion.

Kwarra informed the President that the NPC had already trained 60,000 instructors who would further train enumerators and supervisors for the census.

However, the final training plans were disrupted due to the transition program for the new government and funding challenges. As a result, the census had to be postponed by the previous President, Muhammadu Buhari.

The NPC Chairman emphasized the funding challenges faced by the Commission and expressed the need for President Tinubu’s support and approval to proceed with the census. He assured that the entire country had been demarcated, with only a few places remaining to be completed in the near future.

In a document titled “Implementation Status of the 2023 Population and Housing Census,” the NPC requested the release of the allocated N31 billion from the 2023 budget for preparatory activities. The Commission estimated the total cost of the census, following a methodology review, to be N546.72 billion.

Kwarra also urged President Tinubu to convene a stakeholders’ meeting involving the organized private sector and foreign partners to mobilize funds for the census.

The NPC Chairman highlighted the significance of the census in developing a comprehensive database for national planning, infrastructure development, and revenue generation for the government.

The NPC’s geospatial data had already generated over N5 million through REMITA, and with further integration and automation, it was projected to contribute significantly to economic planning and savings for the nation by 2028, potentially amounting to $14 billion.

President Tinubu pledged his support for the NPC and stressed the importance of data integrity in conducting an accurate census.

Dr. Tony Aiyejina, the Federal Commissioner representing Edo State, explained during an interactive media chat in Benin that the NPC had rescheduled the census to May but was unable to proceed due to the onset of the rainy season, which necessitated adherence to the global principle of simultaneity in conducting census exercises.

Dr. Aiyejina emphasized that when the census eventually takes place, it will be both accurate and reliable, with measures in place to eliminate the controversies that plagued past censuses.

He highlighted the introduction of Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) machines, which would minimize human errors encountered in previous exercises and ensure auditing capabilities.

Addressing public concerns regarding the expenditure of N800 billion prior to the postponement, Dr. Aiyejina clarified that the NPC had only utilized N200 billion of the budgeted amount.

He stated, “The census was postponed due to the rescheduling of the elections by INEC. However, given the current rainy season, conducting the census is not feasible at this time. Previous censuses were marred by controversies, but the 2023 census will not be influenced by any external factors. We have opted for a digital census, utilizing Personal Digital Assistants that are specially configured and traceable to monitor fieldwork.”

Dr. Aiyejina further explained, “Our goal is to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and audibility of the census. We aimed to insulate the census from politics, which is why we planned for a gap of two months after the elections. Unfortunately, the adjustments made by INEC affected the NPC’s timeline, pushing it from March to May. However, we encountered unforeseen challenges due to the rainy season, resulting in the unavoidable postponement. It is important to note that no mistakes were made or issues encountered during this process.”

Underscoring the significance of the census, Dr. Aiyejina emphasized that it is crucial for future planning rather than catering to the present government’s needs. He stressed the necessity of accurate statistics to enable effective government planning and stated that with precise census figures, Nigeria can align with developed nations.

Dr. Aiyejina assured the public that the media would be able to hold the government accountable with accurate census data. He also dismissed concerns about malfunctions with the PDAs, drawing a comparison to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System. He urged Nigerians to maintain optimism and trust that the NPC would deliver the best census in the nation’s history.

Despite the postponement, Dr. Aiyejina confirmed that all sensitive materials for the census were securely stored at the Benin branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Other materials had been distributed to the 18 local government areas of the state, under the watchful eye of District Police Officers.

He encouraged residents of the state to be available when the Commission is ready to conduct the exercise. Dr. Aiyejina emphasized that unlike elections, apathy would not be excused during the census.

He advised residents to be counted wherever they reside, without the need to travel back to their hometowns.

During the interactive session, senior members of the Edo NPC, such as Mr. Saturday Ekeoba, presented papers on “Cartographic Perspectives in Census Making,” Mrs. Rita Aigbokhan discussed “Preparation for Census in Edo State,” and Mrs. Adesuwa Aigbobayi provided an overview of vital registration in Edo State.

The organization lamented the planning of the nationwide exercise, which is set to start on May 3. They claimed that the timing was unlucky and that credible implementation would be impossible.

This was said in a statement issued following the conclusion of the group’s monthly meeting, which was held at the home of Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the acting leader of Afenifere, in Isanya Ogbo, Ogun State.

The group’s Secretary General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, provided the communiqué to our correspondent in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday.

According to the association, some stakeholders have raised concerns over conducting the census in the same year of the general election but the government insisted in conduct the census. The group also condemned the N100 billion on the exercise,  describing it as a “scandalous and economic offence.”

The group said, “Afenifere recalls that in a paper it presented at the National Consultative Forum on the 2023 Census held at the Banquet Hall, State House Abuja on August 11, 2022, it reiterated the imperative of census in national development noting that the application and misuse of Census data had been our bane as a country where we lie to ourselves and the world about our number indulging in laughable projections sometimes based on assumed and fixed percentage of population growth across different parts notwithstanding glaring variables.

“It is in the light of the importance of credible exercise that, in the August 2022 Conference, we strongly advised against the conduct of the Census which, among other reasons, we said could not possibly hold in the same year of a General election. Other well-meaning personalities and institutions including the UNFPA Resident Representative in Nigeria who was at another Conference in Port Harcourt on March 26-29 2023 and most recently the Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Calabar all have raised concerns on the possibility of reasonable and genuine participation in an acceptable headcount in the current mood of the nation.

The digital census would guarantee accurate and reliable data, according to Rini, who said this while interacting with journalists in Gusau on Monday.

The state NPC office reportedly taught 75 imams of the Jumu’at Mosque on Sunday in preparation for the population and housing census in 2023, NAN reports.

“You know, in the previous census, we used paper and pen.

“But the digital census would generate the actual data required for citizens, irrespective of their locations.

“Digitalising the process would ensure transparency and accountability in the census,” he said.

He noted that one of the responsibilities of the commission was to partner and seek for support and cooperation from stakeholders to ensure the success of the exercise in the state.

“Part of the commission’s measures to ensure success of the exercise in the state was engagement of all stakeholders, including the traditional and religious leaders, media practitioners and islamic scholars.

“Partnering with the Ulama and Imams became necessary considering their role in enlightening and sensitising members of the general public.

“They have greater roles to play in promoting citizens participation in the exercise,” he added.

“Just yesterday (Sunday), we trained 75 Juma’at Mosque Imams in partnership with the state Council of Ulama on how to sensitise the general public to the 2023 population and housing census.”

“We selected 75 participants of the training across the 14 local government areas of the state.

“Five Imams were selected across each of the 13 local government areas of the state while Gusau was given 10 Imams,” he explained.

He called on people of the state, especially the stakeholders, to support the commission to ensure a successful census in the state.

“As we all know, census is very critical to national development.

“The population and housing census does not limit to sharing of resources only.

“The census data is used to determine every sector of human development in the areas of economy, housing, health, education, employment and unemployment,” he added.

The explanation was provided in response to a viral audio message that went viral on WhatsApp and claimed that the 2023 Population and Housing Census would address respondents’ religious affiliations.

According to the widely spread message, the query that touches on religion is meant to reduce the number of believers in a particular group.

But in a brief clarification in a statement released on Wednesday, the Director of Public Affairs, Isiaka Yahaya, stressed that the Commission had left such items off of its questionnaire in order to protect the census data from unwarranted controversy and attention.

It partly read,” To avoid doubt, National Population Commission wishes to state unequivocally that the 2023 Population Census will not discuss questions on religious affiliations of respondents”.

The Population and Housing Census is an important economic tool for development, usually a starting point for any government desirous of genuine growth.

NPC had fixed May 3 for the commencement of the 2023 census.

This was revealed during the committee meeting on Tuesday in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, by Mr. Niyi Adebayo, the chairman of the state steering committee for the 2023 census in Ekiti State and special adviser to the governor on budget, economic planning, and performance management.

Adebayo said that the enumeration exercise has been rescheduled to the 2nd through to the 7th of May 2023 from its initial date of 29th March through to the 2nd of April to allow a hitch-free exercise.

The Committee Chairman urged members of the committee, especially the subcommittees, to get moving in order to make the exercise a big success in the state, stating that postponing the counting would allow for good planning and thorough preparation.

He assured the public that the committee will make the required information about the exercise available.

A population census is an exercise that is expected to be carried out once every 10 years with the goal of having accurate and current data on the people and buildings in a certain geographic place for developmental planning. The most recent one was done in Nigeria in 2006.

FEC also approved 2.8 billion naira for the procurement of software for the National Population Commission (NPC) for the conduct of the National Census in May 2023.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed disclosed this in his briefing to state-house correspondents after the FEC meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.

He explained that the decision was necessitated by the rescheduling of the governorship elections from March 11 to March 18.

He added, “They (National Population Commission) sought the council’s approval for a contract to procure software for the census at N2.8bn”.