FILE PHOTO: People wait to be counted as census enumerators visit homes on Ibeshe island, 29 km (18 miles) from Lagos, Nigeria, March 23, 2006 in the country's last census. REUTERS/George Esiri
By Olawale Lamina
The Tinubu Stakeholders Forum, TSF, has expressed the confidence that Nigeria’s next census exercise will provide a more accurate population figure as a result of new measures being introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The group argued that expected accuracy accuracy will benefit from the President’s insistence on voice recognition and facial identification.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Ahmad Sajoh and the Secretary, Afolabi Josiah, TSF said that the move will go a long way to eliminating inefficiencies in the forthcoming exercise.
“For the first time in Nigeria’s history, the country is on the path to conducting a truly accurate and reliable population census following President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive to streamline the census process, eliminate past inefficiencies, and integrate biometric and digital technology
The statement read in part: “This, for us, marks a bold departure from the outdated methods that have undermined previous exercises.
“The importance of this initiative cannot be overstated. In a country of over 220 million people, the absence of credible population data has crippled policy implementation, resource allocation, and economic planning for decades.
“So the President’s insistence on precise enumeration and his resolve to align the process with financial realities signal a commitment to governance based on facts rather than estimates. In essence, the era of proxy enumeration is over.
“Beyond numbers, this exercise will define how Nigeria plans for its future. With reliable data, economic policies, social programs, and security strategies will no longer rely on guesswork.
“It is also noteworthy that President Tinubu also highlighted a direct link between an accurate census and more effective government interventions, including targeted distribution of fertilizers and farm inputs, ensuring that agricultural policies are designed with real population figures in mind.
“We also hope that the exercise will be conducted before the next election to provide a strong foundation for governance in the years ahead.”
TSF concluded by calling on stakeholders to embrace the opportunity of an exercise that will go beyond ordinary headcount to defining a strategic baseline for national policies.
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