President Muhammadu Buhari has projected that Nigeria’s population would rank third largest in the world by 2050 after China and India. This came as he assured that the 2023 census would produce new demographic and socio-economic data for national planning.
In a release by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, Buhari said the deployment of digital technology in the 2023 National Population and Housing Census would ensure effectiveness and more accuracy in the fig- ures.
Speaking at the National Stakeholders’ Summit on the 2023 Population and Housing Census held at the State House, Buhari said, a “reliable, credible, acceptable and successful census’ would help government in planning purposes for development,” especially in bolstering the social security programme that targets more vulnerable Nigerians.
“Population is a critical factor in a nation’s efforts towards achieving sustainable development.
People are both the agents and beneficiaries of the development process. Knowledge of the national population in terms of size, dis tribution and socio-economic characteristics is required for planning purposes. This, therefore, makes the conduct of census an essential governance activity.
“With a projected population of 216,783,381, Nigeria is the sixth most populous country in the world and the most populous country on the African continent. Due to the rapidly growing nature of the population and large proportion of the youthful population, Nigeria is also projected to be the third most populous country in the world by the year 2050, after India and China,” he said.
The President said its population censuses had been conducted irregularly and at intervals longer than the United Nations recommended 10 years.
“This irregular and long interval of census-taking in Nigeria has denied the nation the huge benefits of comprehensive baseline data for evidence- based decision-making, he said.
“Since our assumption of office in 2015, our administration has introduced several poverty reduction and youth empowerment programmes, which are making concrete improvements in the living standards of our people. There is a need to ensure that further implementation of these programmes will be driven by the 2023 census data that will improve the implementation of programmes targeting vulnerable populations and ensuring as widespread coverage as possible.
“The nation requires a new data set to drive the implementation of the recently launched revised National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development and other government policies.
The 2023 census data is also needed to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the country as it will give an overview of the population, where we are and who we are,” he added.
In his remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the President, Dr Habiba Muda Lawal, said the country had a population growth rate of 2.3 per cent, adding that the 2023 census would be the first fully digital population and housing documentation which outcome would be useful for planning and budgetary allocations.
Chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, represented by Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, praised the President for taking the bold step, adding that the figures would help in national and sub-national planning.
Chairman of the NPC, Nasir Isa Kwarra, thanked the President for the approval for the 2023 census in April, after the general election, assuring that the commission will work hard to make it credible and acceptable.
