The ad hoc technical committee established by President Bola Tinubu to provide recommendations on funding and coordination for the forthcoming national census has completed its assignment and submitted its report to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, who chairs the committee.
The development was confirmed on Tuesday by Taibat Oloruntoba, Director of the Public Affairs Department at the National Population Commission (NPC).
President Tinubu inaugurated the high-level committee on 16 April 2025 to formulate a strategic framework for the planned national population and housing census.
Speaking in an interview, Oloruntoba clarified that the body was not constituted as a census implementation committee, but rather as an advisory group mandated to design a framework for the financing and institutional coordination of the national enumeration exercise.
“The committee was tasked with identifying potential sources of funding, assessing the financial requirements, and evaluating the economic viability of conducting the census,” she said.
“It also examined how government agencies—particularly the National Population Commission and the National Identity Management Commission could collaborate more effectively,” she added.
Originally scheduled for May 2023, the census was postponed indefinitely by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari to allow the incoming Tinubu government to take charge of the process.
At the time, the NPC had estimated that ₦532.7 billion would be needed to conduct the census. This figure was later revised upward to ₦869 billion by the then Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba.
Despite the deferral, the NPC reported that ₦200 billion had already been spent on planning and preliminary implementation efforts.
According to Oloruntoba, the advisory committee given approximately three weeks to complete its work held a series of meetings to review strategies, assess institutional readiness, and develop a robust resource mobilisation plan.
This plan includes recommendations for both domestic and international funding, with particular emphasis on engaging development partners, donor agencies, and private sector stakeholders.
Although the full contents of the report have not yet been made public, Oloruntoba noted that the document is currently under review by the committee chair, who will submit it to the President for further consideration.
“The assignment has been completed, and the report has been submitted. It is now for the President to determine the next steps,” she said.
Also Read: Senate President Urges Urgent Conduct of National Census to Aid Nigeria’s Planning
Members of the committee include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Olawale Edun; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji; Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission, Bisoye Coker-Odusote; Principal Private Secretary to the President, Hakeem Muri-Okunola; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration (Office of the Chief of Staff), Temilola Adekunle-Johnson; and NPC Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, who served as secretary.
Nigeria has been due for a population and housing census since 2016. The last enumeration exercise, conducted in 2006, recorded a population of over 140 million. Despite major demographic changes, that data remains the basis for national planning.
Repeated efforts to conduct a new census have stalled due to funding constraints, security challenges, and political considerations. The absence of current demographic data continues to hamper effective policy formulation, social service delivery, and equitable resource distribution.
International best practice recommends conducting a national census every ten years.
