Nigerian Senate Prepares To Meet Tinubu Over Census In 2025
The Senate on Tuesday has made bold its readiness to meet President Tinubu on the need to conduct a national population census in 2025.
Their decision was sent in motion during a budget defense session with the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa Kwarra.
Abdul Ningi, the Committee chairman on National Identity Management and Population stressed that the lawmakers would not rest on their oars until a census is conducted before the end of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said, “We will soon engage the President on this matter and formally write to him through the Senate President, highlighting the need for a census this year,”.
Similarly, Senator Olalere Oyewunmi underscored the importance of pressuring the President to prioritise the census.
Also, Senator Diket Plang decried the country’s reliance on estimated population figures, which he said hampers effective planning.
“It’s disheartening that we are still working with estimates in this modern age. How can we plan without knowing the exact population?
“It’s sad that 2024 passed without achieving 90 percent performance. According to him, we need to know our population, urging for a definitive count by 2025,” he said.
According to the Population Commission boss, the census budget is yet to be finalised, as they plan to integrate a biometric component into the process.
“We are waiting to incorporate the biometric aspect into this year’s budget and conduct a test run before meeting with the President.
“The President prefers a biometric model for the headcount, moving away from the conventional approach,” he said.
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