The upcoming census is a significant milestone in Nigeria’s development, as it provides an opportunity to collect accurate and reliable data on the country’s population and housing, which will serve as a vital tool for policymakers, private sector actors and civil society organizations.
Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Tony Elumelu made this submission Monday in his goodwill remarks at the Nigerian government high-level donour engagement on Nigeria’s 2023 Housing and Population Census, in Abuja.
Elumelu asserted that census would affect how we allocate resources in Nigeria and so many other important decisions, therefore, it is important that the “process is credible and above board.”
He noted that today, Nigerian population estimates and demographic profile are unclear and projections debatable, lamenting that census figures and population distribution have unfortunately become politicized.
“Population figures have ramifications for revenue allocation, office allotment, legislative power and even elections. The stakes are therefore high for various interest groups – we need to act for our nation as a whole and the next generations.
“Nigeria needs a credible and extensive population enumeration exercise.
“The challenge facing the National Population Commission therefore is to conduct a census that meets the public’s acceptability criteria, including Universal Coverage.
The reputable banker said: “A credible exercise and outcome should be a source of pride and a demonstration of our capacity and intent.
“The government faces a herculean task of conducting a credible census in the very tight time frame allocated for the exercise.
“It behoves on the National Population Commission to assuage such sentiments with an excellent census exercise.
“I commend the Ministry of Finance for their proactive initiative to involve the global and private development organisations and the private sector in this year’s census.
“We know that conducting a census entails enormous logistics that requires the collaboration of critical stakeholders.
“And they are all here in this room: The private sector, the African development organisation, the public sector, the international development community”.
While noting that Africa is a technology leader, Elumeluh insisted that the country needed to embrace the use technology.
“The government’s decision to collaborate with these critical stakeholders in the census is a positive step towards achieving a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of our nation’s demographics.
“We the Nigerian philanthropic organisations and private sector are ready to support and complement the efforts of the Nigerian government in this most important exercise.
“We believe that by working together, we can achieve our shared goal of obtaining high-quality data that will inform evidence-basedz decision-making and positively impact our nation’s development.
“Nigeria is our home, and it’s our duty to continually contribute to the sustainable development of the country not just for ourselves but also for the future generations yet to come.
“Our country just concluded a huge logistical exercise in the form of the National elections.
“We are about to embark on an even larger exercise, the census. We must therefore be quick learners and ensure that the lessons learnt from the elections are channelled into the data collection process.
“To repeat, it is important that the Census outcome is credible, acceptable and does not lead to any further controversies” Elumelu restated.
He urged the National Population Commission to leverage on technology as much as possible to reduce human errors and demonstrate transparency and credibility, adding thatj Nigeria must show that it is progressive, fair, equitable and development focused.
Elumelu reiterated that the private sector and African development organisation’s readiness to support this most important process, praying for a peaceful and successful exercise and an outcome that is credible and widely accepted.
The National Population Commission NPC has fixed the year’s Census for April.