President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has described the conflicting population figures often cited by Nigerians abroad as a national disgrace, emphasising the need for a fresh census.
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He made this known on Wednesday during a meeting with members and management of the National Population Commission (NPC), who visited him to update the Senate on preparations for the upcoming national census.
Checks revealed that Nigeria last conducted a census in 2006.
Senator Akpabio emphasised the critical role of a national census in effective planning and development, noting that it would also eliminate conflicting population figures.
“I don’t want to call it a national disgrace, but it’s a national embarrassment that even Nigerians representing us at international fora do not know our population.
“Sometimes, you hear 250 million Nigerians, other times it’s 270 million. Some African countries think we are over 300 million.
“Now, in some retreats, the figure is being reduced to 220 million. I think it’s time to put an end to this confusion,” he said.
The Senate President stressed that any country that fails to know its population cannot adequately plan for its future.
“You cannot truly plan for the future if you don’t know how many mouths you want to feed or how many children to put in school.
“You can’t determine the number of classroom blocks to build without reliable data.
“Any country that does not plan for its future has already accepted failure. We will be failing future generations if we do not begin proper planning—and that planning starts with the census,” he added.
Akpabio assured the NPC of the National Assembly’s full support in ensuring a successful exercise.
“It is very important that we support you. The National Assembly will stand by you to ensure success.
“With the calibre of men and women I see here, I have no doubt that once the proclamation is made by Mr. President, you will rise to the occasion,” he stated.
Earlier in the meeting, NPC Chairman Nasir Isa Kwarra, who led the delegation, explained that the purpose of the visit was to brief the Senate President on the Commission’s progress and to seek continued legislative support.
“We cannot conduct this census without your support. We aim to make Nigerians proud by delivering a thorough and credible census that provides essential data for policy formulation, planning, and tracking national development,” Kwarra said.
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