Don’t Delay Census, Experts Urge Tinubu
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Don’t Delay Census, Experts Urge Tinubu
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
Following the suspension of the 2023 population and housing census planned for May by the Federal Government, experts in demography and economy are urging the incoming administration, led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to prioritize the exercise.
They argue that the census is long overdue, considering the last one was conducted 17 years ago in 2006.
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Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the postponement of the census to a date to be determined by the incoming administration after meeting with members of the Federal Executive Council.
The experts emphasise that conducting the census immediately after inauguration is crucial to address the country’s lack of data, which has contributed to ongoing strikes in the educational and medical sectors.
Speaking with PUNCH on Friday, a professor of demography at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, John Laah, said it was best for the census to be held immediately after inauguration.
Laah noted that, “The major problem that we have in Nigeria is the lack of data. The Nigerian Medical Association, Academic Staff Union of Universities, etc., go on strikes because the country does not have data for potential planning. The government needs to know the number of children that will enroll in primary and secondary schools, and even higher institutions. If we do not have the census, the strikes will continue to happen.
“I can tell you that it is in the interest of the government to conduct this census as soon as possible. The reason is that if we know what has happened (money expended on training), the government does not have to delay the census for long so that people that have been trained would not need to be retrained.
A professor of economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Sheriffdeen Tella, noted that since the census had been planned already, delaying it was not necessary.
Tella stated, “The census should be the first assignment for the incoming government, more so that it won’t need to spend special money on the census unless it is delayed unnecessarily.
The data obtained from the census is vital for effective planning, and any further delay would result in wasted resources.
Therefore, the incoming administration should make the census its first priority, as it has already been planned and does not require additional funding.
