By Kolawole Ojebisi
After eighteen years of bandying around rough estimate of the country’s population, Nigeria is set to conduct a belated census in 2025,
The Chairman of the National Population Census, Nasir Isa Kwara disclosed this today.
Kwarra made the revelation at the 2024 Anniversary on the Nairobi Summit on International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) on Thursday in Abuja
The United Nations has recommended that population census should be held in countries across the globe in every 10 years.
Nigeria has not “honoured” this recommendation as the country has never been consistent with conducting the exercise.
The last time Nigeria conducted population census was in 2006, making the country 18 years without accurate figure of its citizens.
While the country was supposed to hold the census in 2023, the exercise was botched after missing two dates it was scheduled under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The administration had predicated the cancellation on wanting the incoming administration that won the 2023 elections to own the census exercise.
But Kwarra in his speech noted that major setback Nigeria faces is the delay in conducting a population and housing census which is fundamental for informed decision-making.
He said the delay in conducting the census, particularly in the face of logistical and financial constraints, had hindered efforts to assess the full scope of population needs and allocate resources effectively, especially in rural and underserved areas.
“This gap in accurate population data poses challenges in tailoring reproductive health services and interventions to specific demographic groups, ultimately undermining progress toward reducing maternal mortality and improving access to family planning.
“We are gathered in the spirit of a shared commitment to progress, inclusivity, and the empowerment of individuals, particularly women and young people. Our focus is on advancing sexual and reproductive health, eliminating gender-based violence (GBV), and promoting equal opportunities for everyone in our nation.
“We must continue our march to address these challenges head-on. For many in our communities—particularly women, girls, and young people—sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) remain out of reach. This is not just a health issue; it is also an issue of social and economic justice. When individuals are denied the ability to make choices about their health and lives, it limits their potential, reduces opportunities, and impacts society as a whole.”
On her part, the founder of wellbeing Foundation Africa, Toying Saraki, expressed commitment to a continuous programme of advocacy and policy on a global and subnational scale to accelerate progress towards the ICPD agenda and mobilise private, philanthropic and multi-sector stakeholders towards the goal.
