Nigeria Is Overdue For Census — Population Commission

Mrs Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission for Lagos State on Tuesday said that Nigeria was overdue for a census for effective management of the country.

Speaking at an Enumeration Area Demarcation exercise in Lagos, Salu-Hundeyin said that the country would continue to live in darkness developmentally without a census.

“Because without accurate data, no government can manage the people and government must have data to know how many children are being born, how many schools will be needed, how many hospitals, and its workforce.

“This is how to manage a nation successfully; the rate at which we are going, it is a tough job for anybody to manage this country without a census,” she said.

The commissioner said that NPOPC would have wanted census every 10 years as obtained in other countries but the Census Act and the Constitution did not allow that.

“We have written to the federal government and we are showing our preparedness by the EAD, the birth registration and other things that we do.

“But until government gives a proclamation, we can not hold a census and it is over 10 years now since the last census held in 2006.

“Until it becomes a law like the election, we can not impose it on the federal government. Right now, Nigeria is overdue for census,” she said.

(NAN)