Nigeria Fixes Date For National Population Census, A First In 17 Years

Nigeria will launch its first national census in 17 years at the end of March, an official announced Friday.

The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa Kwarra, revealed the information to State House reporters shortly after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, in Abuja. "From March 29 to April 2, our staff will be on the field enumerating people," he said, as per Punch.

He also assured Nigerians that the 2023 population census would be conducted in a credible manner using the most recent technology, with no possibility for manipulation.

According to the NPC head, the 2023 census would be distinct from earlier ones that had been plagued by controversy because the commission would use cutting-edge tools like satellite images and the Global Positioning System (GPS), and every building in the country had already been coded for the purpose. "This census is going to be different from past censuses. The theory and practice are essentially the same, but we're using high-end technology to conduct this census and it's such that nobody can tamper with any figure. Nobody will be counted more than once," he said, as per The Guardian.

The enumeration zones have been properly delineated, according to Kwarra, who also confirmed that the commission had launched a portal for ad hoc personnel recruitment to carry out the exercise and that those hired would be sent to work in their local areas.

Kwarra also expressed optimism that the exercise will proceed well despite the unsettling security situation in several parts of the country.

Additionally, he stated that non-Nigerians will be included in the calculations if they were present in Nigeria at the time of the exercise.

Meanwhile, the United Nations projects that the country's 200 million population will quadruple by 2050. Nigeria would surpass the United States to become the third-most populous nation in the world.

President Muhammadu Buhari stressed, last year, the need for immediate action to reduce Nigeria's high fertility rate by enhancing access to contemporary contraceptives across the nation after launching the Revised National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development.

The vice president was appointed as deputy chairman of the National Council on Population Management (NCPM), which was also established by the president. Members of the NCPM were the heads of pertinent Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).