Politics

Lack of accurate population data hampers national planning – Senate Committee

Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi has expressed concern about the lack of accurate population data, which he believes hampers national planning.

The senator made this declaration on Thursday during a meeting with a delegation from the National Population Commission (NPC), led by the Chairman, Nasir Isa Kaura.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee emphasized that to be taken seriously in the comity of nations, Nigeria must be able to present an accurate population census based on verifiable data. He also cautioned against ethno-religious sentiments that could frustrate the attainment of an accurate census.

Senator Ningi stated, “Public analysts say that Nigerians are over 200 million. Some would say 220. Just yesterday, I heard that we are over 250 million. All those things are mere guesswork. As emphasised by an Act of Parliament, the population commission is saddled with the constitutional responsibility to provide accurate data.”

He urged the delegation to take the need for an accurate census to the grassroots, emphasising that this task is crucial for the future of the country. Senator Babangida Hussaini, another member of the Committee representing Jigawa Northwest, called for a restructuring of modalities, noting that the current centralised approach is not achieving the desired effect for the nation.

Senator Hussaini highlighted challenges such as migration and emigration affecting proper census, emphasizing the need for measures to police the country’s 927,000 sq kilometres of land to check illegal immigrants.

A member of the NPC from Lagos State, Saidat Olayinka Oladunjoye, assured the committee of a robust guideline towards a successful enumeration exercise. She explained that the commission would deploy the Geographic Information System (GIS) and emphasized that the upcoming population census would be one of the best in the country’s history.

Oladunjoye mentioned plans for capacity building for staff and partnerships with local government administrations to ensure the success of the exercise. She stated, “We know what we are going to do. We have the template. We have the program.

We are going to work with all relevant government agencies – the Ministry of Education, Health, Environment, local government chairmen, local government ministries, and the Ministry of Information to get the necessary information out. The population census will be the best at the end of the day.”

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