The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, has called for the expansion of the recently inaugurated National Census Committee.
The Presidency had, through a statement by the special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced the inauguration of a high-level committee to oversee the forthcoming national population and housing census.
Nigeria’s last census was conducted in 2006, recording a population of 140,431,790, comprising 71,345,488 males and 69,086,302 females.
The committee is chaired by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu. Other members include the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris; the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa Kwarra, who also serves as Secretary; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC); the Principal Private Secretary to the President; and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations (Office of the Chief of Staff).
The national president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, expressed concerns about the composition of the committee, describing it as lacking sufficient regional balance.
Okwu said census exercises are sensitive national activities that require inclusive processes to ensure fairness and credibility. He urged the Presidency to reconsider the structure of the committee by either expanding it to accommodate broader regional representation or forming a new one.
“We have waited to see whether the presidency would address the concerns raised, but the situation remains unchanged nearly two weeks after the committee’s inauguration,” he stated.
He added that given past controversies surrounding census figures in Nigeria, a more representative approach would help foster public confidence in the upcoming exercise.
