National Housing And Population Census, A Sine Qua Non For Nigeria’s Socio-Econo-Political Development.
By Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP
Saturday (Afor) 08-03-2025.
Simplicity has been deliberately chosen as the style for this write-up. Every illustration here will be self-explanatory. The style buttresses the importance of the topic under review.
One of the major controversies that have avoidably kept Nigeria underdeveloped has been the issue of Housing and Population Census. Census in Nigeria started as early as 1866 when it was first conducted in Lagos by the British Colonial Government. In 1871, the second census took place in Lagos, marking the beginning of decennial censuses in Nigeria.
It, however, was in 1911 that the Census covered the Southern Protectorate, including Lagos, and the Northern Protectorate.
There was a census in 1921, and another in 1952-53. After Nigeria had obtained her political independence on October 1st, 1960, there was another census in 1952. But due to perceived irregularities, the result of the census was not acceptable and, so, the exercise was cancelled. However, another census was conducted in 1963 and, as it were, the result was accepted.
In 1973, another attempt was made at census but was, like that of 1962, marred in suspicion and controversy, and, so, was cancelled.
In 2006, the National Population Commission, NPC, conducted her first National Housing and Population Census. Reportedly, it recorded a total population census of One Hundred and Forty Million people, with Northern Nigeria being ascribed 75 Million, and the South 65 Million. Since after the National Housing and Population Census of 2006, conducted during the Administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, that is nineteen years after, no other census has taken place in Nigeria. The often touted 200,000,000 population of Nigeria has remained an unverified conjecture.
Like it was stated in the preamble, this essay is designed to be as clear as crystal. There should neither be any ambiguity nor miscomprehension.
Planning is not the exclusive responsibility of Government, and Corporate Organizations. For a family to prosper and grow, it must do strategic planning. No family can plan effectively without knowing the exact number of children and wards to be taken care of on daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Responsible Parents should provide, adequately or, at worst, inadequately, for their children’s feeding, clothing, medical bills, educational requirements and other exigencies. Parents who shoulder such responsibilities naturally earn the respect of their children and wards, except those who are naturally designed to be ungrateful.
No Parents can accomplish the above goals if the number of family members to be taken care of is unknown. If such a situation occurs, it would result to either gross inadequacies or avoidable waste of scarce resources. Planning based on Population Census has no alternative.
It is, therefore, heartwarming to note that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has indicated interest in conducting a National Housing and Population Census this year, 2025. It is also assuring to learn that he is determined to add the element of cost effectiveness to the exercise, having reportedly shown preference for the deployment of National Youth Corps Members, as an alternative to a bogus budgetary proposal for the census.
The usefulness of an accurate Housing and Population Census can never be overemphasized. In the first instance, an honest and transparent conduct of the exercise, making effective use of technology, will give Nigeria a clear picture of her population. If Nigeria’s population is known, including the different age brackets, and social cum occupational population, Government would be able to plan accurately. The number of children between the chronological ages of 1-3 years would be an eye opener to both Governments and Private Sector Investors on the number of Schools and Teachers that would be in demand in the next three years.
In the same vein, a dependable demographic survey by Governments will equip them to ascertain the number of people with probable vulnerabilities as a result of old age or sicknesses, and that will make them responsive to anticipate medical challenges.
Insecurity has been a torn in Nigeria’s flesh. It, most likely, escalated because of the inexactitude of her population. United Nations’ standard Police-Citizens ratio is one Policeman to 450 persons. But in Nigeria, it is about 187 Policemen to 350,000, giving a ratio of one Policeman to 1,871.6.
President Tinubu has demonstrated quantifiable courage in tackling uncommon challenges bedeviling Nigeria, ranging from removing fraudulent Fuel Subsidy regime to insisting that Local Government Councils receive their monthly allocations direct from Federation Accounts Allocation Commission, and, hopefully, his Administration will give Nigeria, for the first time, an accurate Housing and Population Census.
No doubt, having an accurate Housing and Population Census for Nigeria is a Sine Qua Non!
Sir Don Ubani is a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State and writes from his native Asa land beautifully situated between Aba in Abia State and Port-Harcourt in Rivers State.
