The 2024 population and housing census scheduled for November will hold as stated, the Senate assures.
The Senate assured this yesterday in Abuja during the screening of 17 of the 19 commissioner-nominees for the National Population Commission, NPC, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Identity and Population, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central). It is of noteworthy that most of the nominees are people coming for the second time.
According to him: “It is a renomination and we have perused their credentials presented in the first instance, compared to the ones they. have just presented.”
Since the last census which was conducted in 2006, Nigeria has been using estimated figures for years now with the National Population Commission, giving a population figure of 140 million.
Another census was scheduled for 2022 by the past administration of President Buhari, but was later shifted to 2023.
Further, Ningi hinted that the exercise is all about political will of the government since no census had held in the past 11 years.
According to him: “We are almost 11 years without taking the United Nations resolution on population which comes almost every seven years.
“I am sure with the political will, this is possible, it’s doable, the commission is ready, the personnel are ready. All we need do is the announcement by the President that the population census is coming on a date and once he says it, the international observers will now come in with their support.
