2023 census will tackle insecurity and poverty – Buhari
The president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, said on Thursday that the population and housing census planned for 2023 would give a better structure to the government's fight against poverty and insecurity.
It was then that he lamented the lack of up-to-date information since the 2006 census which he said has hampered the country's national planning.
The president said so in a statement titled “How can we get more accuracy in the 2023 census – President Buhari.” signed by his Special Advisor on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, during his keynote speech at the National Stakeholder Summit on the 2023 Census, held at the State House Conference Center, Abuja.
Buhari, who acknowledged that Nigeria could rank third among countries in terms of population by 2050, after China and India, said that a "reliable, credible, acceptable and successful census “will enable the government to plan for development, in particular by strengthening the social security program which targets the most vulnerable Nigerians.
The President said the deployment of digital technology in the 2023 National Population and Housing Census will ensure efficiency and greater accuracy in the numbers that come out of the exercise.
He said: "The country's inability to conduct a population census for the past 16 years has created an information void, as data from the last census conducted in 2006 has been rendered obsolete for planning.
“It has therefore become imperative for the nation to conduct another national census to produce a new set of demographic and socio-economic data that will serve as the basis for national planning and sustainable development.
"Population is a critical factor in a nation's efforts to achieve sustainable development. People are both agents and beneficiaries of the development process. Knowledge of the national population in terms of size , distribution and socio-economic characteristics is needed for planning purposes.
With a projected population of 216,783,381, Buhari noted that Nigeria is the sixth most populous country in the world and the most populous country on the African continent.
He added that due to rapid population growth and high proportion of young population, Nigeria is also projected to be the third most populous country in the world by 2050 after India and Nigeria. China.
The President also lamented that despite Nigeria's high position on the world population map, its population censuses have been conducted irregularly and at intervals longer than the 10 years recommended by the United Nations.
He said, “This long and irregular census interval in Nigeria has robbed the nation of the enormous benefits of comprehensive baseline data for evidence-based decision-making.
"Since we took office in 2015, our administration has implemented several poverty reduction and youth empowerment programs that are concretely improving the standard of living of our people.
Buhari further argued that the nation needs a new set of data to drive the implementation of the recently launched revised National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development and other government policies.
He said the 2023 census data is also needed to address the security challenges besetting the country, as it will provide insight into the population, where we are and who we are.
The President therefore called for the support of stakeholders, which include state governments, local government councils, traditional and religious institutions, civil society organizations, private sectors, media, development partners development, donor agencies and the general population for successful conduct. of the 2023 Census.
In his remarks, Federation Government Secretary Boss Mustapha, who was represented by the President's Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Dr. Habiba Lawal, corroborated Buhari's earlier remarks saying that with a population growth rate of 2.3%, Nigeria would likely be the third most populous country in the world by 2050.
She said the 2023 census would be the first fully digital documentation of population and housing and the result would be useful for planning and budget allocations.
For his part, NPC Chairman Nasir Kwarra thanked the President for approving the 2023 census in April after the general elections, assuring him that the commission will work hard to make it "credible and acceptable". '
The president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, said on Thursday that the population and housing census planned for 2023 would give a better structure to the government's fight against poverty and insecurity.
It was then that he lamented the lack of up-to-date information since the 2006 census which he said has hampered the country's national planning.
The president said so in a statement titled “How can we get more accuracy in the 2023 census – President Buhari.” signed by his Special Advisor on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, during his keynote speech at the National Stakeholder Summit on the 2023 Census, held at the State House Conference Center, Abuja.
Buhari, who acknowledged that Nigeria could rank third among countries in terms of population by 2050, after China and India, said that a "reliable, credible, acceptable and successful census “will enable the government to plan for development, in particular by strengthening the social security program which targets the most vulnerable Nigerians.
The President said the deployment of digital technology in the 2023 National Population and Housing Census will ensure efficiency and greater accuracy in the numbers that come out of the exercise.
He said: "The country's inability to conduct a population census for the past 16 years has created an information void, as data from the last census conducted in 2006 has been rendered obsolete for planning.
“It has therefore become imperative for the nation to conduct another national census to produce a new set of demographic and socio-economic data that will serve as the basis for national planning and sustainable development.
"Population is a critical factor in a nation's efforts to achieve sustainable development. People are both agents and beneficiaries of the development process. Knowledge of the national population in terms of size , distribution and socio-economic characteristics is needed for planning purposes.
With a projected population of 216,783,381, Buhari noted that Nigeria is the sixth most populous country in the world and the most populous country on the African continent.
He added that due to rapid population growth and high proportion of young population, Nigeria is also projected to be the third most populous country in the world by 2050 after India and Nigeria. China.
The President also lamented that despite Nigeria's high position on the world population map, its population censuses have been conducted irregularly and at intervals longer than the 10 years recommended by the United Nations.
He said, “This long and irregular census interval in Nigeria has robbed the nation of the enormous benefits of comprehensive baseline data for evidence-based decision-making.
"Since we took office in 2015, our administration has implemented several poverty reduction and youth empowerment programs that are concretely improving the standard of living of our people.
Buhari further argued that the nation needs a new set of data to drive the implementation of the recently launched revised National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development and other government policies.
He said the 2023 census data is also needed to address the security challenges besetting the country, as it will provide insight into the population, where we are and who we are.
The President therefore called for the support of stakeholders, which include state governments, local government councils, traditional and religious institutions, civil society organizations, private sectors, media, development partners development, donor agencies and the general population for successful conduct. of the 2023 Census.
In his remarks, Federation Government Secretary Boss Mustapha, who was represented by the President's Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Dr. Habiba Lawal, corroborated Buhari's earlier remarks saying that with a population growth rate of 2.3%, Nigeria would likely be the third most populous country in the world by 2050.
She said the 2023 census would be the first fully digital documentation of population and housing and the result would be useful for planning and budget allocations.
For his part, NPC Chairman Nasir Kwarra thanked the President for approving the 2023 census in April after the general elections, assuring him that the commission will work hard to make it "credible and acceptable". '
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