The Nigerian government, through the National Population Commission (NPC) has announced its intention to hold the Nigerian Population and Housing Census in November 2024. The commission’s chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, mentioned during a press conference that they are 70% ready for the census.
The proposal is awaiting approval from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is important to note that Nigeria hasn’t conducted a national census in the past 18 years, with the previous attempt in 2023 being canceled by former President Muhammad Buhari.
The NPC chairman is eager to proceed with the census, pending presidential approval.
He stated, “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 do not 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 has developed digital maps for the census and future surveys to track every citizen in the country. Adeyemi Adeniran, the Statistician General of the Federation, highlighted the significance of census data in addressing poverty and driving national development.
 has announced its intention to hold the Nigerian Population and Housing Census in November 2024. The commission's chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, mentioned during a press conference that they are 70% ready for the census.){kind=link}