The President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has emphasised the urgent need to conduct a new national Census to enhance Nigeria’s planning and development efforts.
Senator Akpabio noted that the last Census was conducted in 2006, making the next exercise long overdue. He made the remarks while receiving members and management of the National Population Commission (NPC) at his office, where they briefed him on preparations for the upcoming Census.
Addressing the delegation, Senator Akpabio described the current lack of accurate population data as a source of national embarrassment, saying it causes confusion even among Nigerians representing the country abroad.
“Sometimes, you hear figures ranging from 250 million to over 300 million. Some countries are now reducing Nigeria’s population estimate from 250 million to 220 million. It is time to end this confusion,” he stated.
The Senate President stressed that accurate population data is vital for effective national planning. “Any country that fails to know its population has already started to fail in its planning. You cannot plan for the future without knowing how many mouths you need to feed, how many children require schooling, or how many classrooms to build.”
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He further warned that failure to conduct the Census would amount to failing future generations. “We must plan. This Census is important so that we know the exact number of people we are preparing for.”
Senator Akpabio assured the NPC of the National Assembly’s full support for the Census exercise. “The National Assembly will back you to succeed. With the calibre of professionals I see here, I am confident that the task assigned by Mr President will be accomplished once the official proclamation is made. The Senate will stand by you every step of the way.”
Earlier, NPC Chairman Nasir Isa Kwarra, who led the delegation, said the visit aimed to update the Senate President on the preparations and to seek continued support from the National Assembly.
“We cannot conduct this Census without your support. We count on your backing to conduct a thorough Census that will provide crucial data to guide policy formulation and development planning,” Kwarra stated.
