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The National Population Commission (NPC) has expressed readiness to conduct the 2024 Nigerian Population and Housing Census.
NPC Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, while speaking at a press conference held to mark the 2024 World Population Day, said the commission has proposed November 2024 for the exercise.
However, Kwarra said that the proposed date remains subject to the approval of President Bola Tinubu, stressing that the commission is ready to swing into action immediately after they get a nod.
He said, “The commission is 70 per cent ready to conduct the census, the delay in Nigeria having data on its population would not prevent the country from achieving the UN 2020 Round of Population & Housing Censuses.
“In the beginning of the year, we wanted to conduct a census in November, but we are waiting for that nod. If that is given, we will swing into action and before the end of 2024 we will be able to conduct a very good census for Nigeria. We are still prepared. A lot of money has been spent. Since it is a digital census, we have over 760,000 PDAs that we are supposed to use for the census.
“This equipment has been bought for over a year now. With such equipment, if you don’t use them and the batteries go down, we run the risk of losing a lot of these facilities. It is important we have the resources to kick-start the process.
“The commission now had digital maps for the census and other surveys, and that the completion of the census would provide the country with relevant data to track every citizen in the country.”
Speaking during the press briefing, the Statistician General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adeniran, said that census data is vital for the country’s development and plays a crucial role in addressing issues that contribute to poverty.