The National Population Commission (NPC) has said lack of resources and political transitions were responsible for the inability of the country to conduct a census for 17 years.
The United Nations recommended census every 10 years.
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Speaking at a media luncheon with editors and journalists yesterday in Abuja, the commissioner for Ogun State and Chairman Public Affairs committee, Dr Eyitayo Oyetunji, said the 2016 election was shelved by the former President Goodluck Jonathan, due to political reasons.
“After the successful conduct of 2006, the next census was to be held in 2016, and the commission started preparing for the census. All the arrangements were in place and they met with the president at that time in 2014 to state their intentions but he said he doesn’t know if he will be in office by then and if he wanted to do it, Nigerians will misunderstand him and say he wanted to use the census as a conduit pipe to fund the elections.”
“It was not because he didn’t want to do it but because of the circumstances he found himself and as he said, he lost the election and a new government came in 2015. There was nothing anybody could have done to make that new government conduct a census in 2016, they too needed time to prepare and get the right team to do the census, they did that and the first tenure ended. By the end of the tenure, they said that as soon as they come back, they will be ready. Unfortunately, COVID came in and there were no resources, there was insecurity and people were not able to move around. These are the practical reasons why the census was moved to where we are.”
He said the commission is leveraging on technology to ensure the census is credible, inclusive and acceptable.
On his part, the Chairman of the commission, Nasir Isah Kwarra, said 2023 is a good opportunity for the country to know how to channel development strategic as the census will provide data that would be useful for policy making.
He said the commission is committed to the census, reasons it has demarcated 773 local governments to ensure the process is smooth.
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