₦airaland Forum

The National Population Commission has hinted that the conduct of the population census and head count for all Nigerians scheduled for 2016 would depend on the willingness of Nigerians and the Federal Government because of poor budgetary allocation.

The commission also called for a review of The National Policy on Population to accommodate current realities “in view of recent changes in the demographic profile of the country.”

NPC said, “The review is to assess the performance of the programmes outlined in the policy and also to respond to emerging national and international issues in population and development.
We are currently leading the review process”.

The Chairman of the NPC, Chief Eze DuruIheoma (SAN), expressed these views on Thursday in Abuja during a press briefing in commemoration of the 2015 World Population Day, with the theme, “Vulnerable population in emergencies.”

According to him, if indeed Nigerians want the conduct of 2016 national census, they must demand for it, just like they did during the recently concluded general elections.

The PUNCH recalls that a former chairman of NPC, Chief Festus Odumegwu, was removed in 2013 by former President Goodluck Jonathan, following comments credited to him that previous national censuses figures were inflated to favour the northern parts of the country.

He had said that over N200bn would be required to carry out the census exercise that would be universally acceptable to correct the mistakes of the past.

But DuruIheoma, who recently complained of poor budgetary allocation, said the fate of the conduct of 2016 census rests solely on Nigerians and the Federal Government that should provide the needed funds for the exercise.

He said, “I want to remind us that censuses are supposed to be held between five and 10 years after the previous one. Now, the previous census in Nigeria took place in 2006. A maximum of 10 years will take us to 2016. That is why we are sticking to the 2016 date. That is when the next census is due in this country.

“Population census is an exercise that involves Nigerians. Look at the way Nigerians reacted to the last (2015) election. They demanded that they wanted it; the next thing after the elections ought to be the national census.

We want it to be in the consciousness of Nigerians. The last one took place in 2006. Ten years after, we want to know how many we are.

“Our duty here in the NPC is to help Nigerians realise this goal. We are ready to heed the call of Nigerians. Whatever they want us to do, we will carry out their wish. If they want us to carry out the exercise, we will.”

The NPC boss while decrying the pitiable conditions of Internally-Displaced Persons, called on Nigerians and relevant agencies of government to protect the rights of victims of insurgency in the North-East.

http://www.punchng.com/news/news-analysis/poor-budget-2016-census-may-not-hold-says-npc/

Ok

What is the essence of the census if there is no national planning, that of 2006 to me is still a waste of fund.

I think its high time we conduct another census in this country so as to know the real population.

Abeg we know how many we be for naija...between 80-100 million...boko haram don collect about 60 million

Nigeria is broke, yet NDLEA catch some people wey dey carry money up and down in abuja. There is GOD.

This Census wey some parts of Nigeria dey count Cows

Obviously, buhari and his goons are desperately trying to starve the census commission of funds, since they know that a credible census performed by an 'outsider' will never favour the North. Jonathan messed up the census count when he removed Odumegwu who was more of a technocrat than Eze Duruiheoma, who is just another run in the mill politician. Odumuegwu would have given this country a very reliable census capable of changing the political demograghics once and for all. The charge that he talks too much is just peurile. It was the sectional press beholden to some ethnicities in Nigeria that blew whatever he said out of proportion. The North, now in the saddle will do everything to get a census count that favours them. Census in this country is everything. It is the invented censsus figures that are used to to gerrymander election units to favour certain states against others thereby creating a situation where just 2 or 3 states in the north can determine the course of a presidential election in this country, while a region in the north can hold the National assembly to ransome.

Somehow in this country, a warped census count stated that kano has many more people than Lagos and people kept quiet. . No thanks to very dangeroly cooked census figures, Kano and jigawa, just two states up north, are having as much Local governments with bigger alllocations as that of the whole South east. These leads to lopsided appointments, lopsided sharing of funds and amenities, lopsided political representations etc. But most dangerously, our skewed census counts in the past has given the north an unmerited edge in terms of political representations in the center. An edge that has been used to turn the south more or else into a colony.. . For every discerning southerner, the call for a credible census should be as important and as vociferous as the call for credible elections. The reason is simple; an election is already rigged, when a certain district, local government or state has gotten an over bloated number of electorate, no thanks to a flawed census.

welbeck317:
Abeg we know how many we be for naija...between 80-100 million...boko haram don collect about 60 million

uwwwww 60million

GEJ 50million-buhari 10million-nah true ooh

As long as a Northerner is CinC. Expect no Census

As long as a Northerner is CinC. Expect no Census

PHfinest:
As long as a Northerner is CinC. Expect no Census

For speaking out, the census boss is a marked man. In the coming days, the next thing you will hear is that the census boss has been fired and one Aminu, Amina or Anima appointed. .

Lol... no money for census buh dea is money for elections and ots campaigns ... Set of stupid theives... dea must b census!! and soldiers frm d east shud assist in d counting of d North hence we will not b seeing magical numbers........

owobokiri:
Obviously, buhari and his goons are desperately trying to starve the census commission of funds, since they know that a credible census performed by an 'outsider' will never favour the North. Jonathan messed up the census count when he removed Odumegwu who was more of a technocrat than Eze Duruiheoma, who is just another run in the mill politician. Odumuegwu would have given this country a very reliable census capable of changing the political demograghics once and for all. The charge that he talks too much is just peurile. It was the sectional press beholden to some ethnicities in Nigeria that blew whatever he said out of proportion. The North, now in the saddle will do everything to get a census count that favours them. Census in this country is everything. It is the invented censsus figures that are used to to gerrymander election units to favour certain states against others thereby creating a situation where just 2 or 3 states in the north can determine the cause of a presidential election in this country, while a region in the north can hold the National assembly to ransome.

Somehow in this country, a warped census count stated that kano has many more people than Lagos and people kept quiet. . No thanks to very dangeroly cooked census figures, Kano and jigawa, just two states up north, are having as much Local governments with bigger alllocations as that of the whole South east. These leads to lopsided appointments, lopsided sharing of funds and amenities, lopsided political representations etc. But most dangerously, our skewed census counts in the past has given the north an unmerited edge in terms of political representations in the center. An edge that has been used to turn the south more or else into a colony.. . For every discerning southerner, the call for a credible census should be as important and as vociferous as the call for credible elections. The reason is simple; an election is already rigged, when a certain district, local government or state has gotten an over bloated electorate, no thanks to a flawed census.

Well, sooner or later the truth will come out with the bio-metric census.

Dollyak:
Well, sooner or later the truth will come out with the bio-metric census.

I doubt if that would ever see light of a beautiful sunny day in my dear country