Nigeria took a step closer on Monday to conducting a new national population and housing census with biometric and digital components. The nation last held a census in November 2006.
President Bola Tinubu, at a meeting at the Statehouse with officials of the National Population Commission (NPC), said he would set up a committee to align the census budget to the government’s present financial realities.
He said the National Identity Management Commission(NIMC) must be part of the review.
“We must ascertain who we are, how many we are, and how to manage our data. Without an accurate census, we can’t successfully plan for employment, agriculture, and food sovereignty. So many problems come up without accurate data”, President Tinubu said.
He reiterated his commitment to ensuring accurate and reliable figures from the national census to strengthen development planning and improve Nigerians’ living conditions through more efficient social security.
The National Population Commission (NPC) Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, and some other members briefed the President.
President Tinubu noted that government incentives, such as the sale and distribution of fertilisers, could be easily improved with more reliable data and demographics.
The President told the delegation that biometric capturing should be central to the process, with multiple identification features, including facial and voice recognition.
