President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pledged his support for the next population census to be conducted in Nigeria.
President Tinubu declared his support yesterday during the launch of the National Geo-Spatial Data Repository Digital CRVS System held at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.
The president in a statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, commended the National Population Commission (NPC), saying that it has made substantial effort to deliver the population and housing census.
Tinubu said Nigeria’s population remains the greatest asset the nation wields in the broader mission to become one of the largest economies in the world.
He said the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system is the basic building block of an identity ecosystem, adding that, “it will help to improve service delivery to all Nigerians and shall ultimately become a vital source of identity data across federal agencies such as NIMC, NIS, Road Safety, INEC, Police, EFCC and other security outfits.”
“The system will also improve the ability of our federal agencies to generate vital statistics on important population events and migration, further enabling the government to design well-tailored, effective and efficient policies that are capable of meeting the specific needs of the Nigerian people.
“The population remains the greatest asset of the nation in the development process, collecting accurate and reliable information on the size, distribution and composition and characteristics of the population is an essential governance activity which is consistent with our Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The commission will therefore be supported in the conduct of next census,” President Tinubu added.
Commending the NPC for the initiative, Tinubu asked the commission to deploy its cutting edge technology, especially the geo-spatial data that has been collected through the Enumeration Area Demarcation in implementing the eCRVS.
“Coming at a time when the commission has made substantial progress in its quest to deliver the first digital population and housing census, it is my hope that the result of the census will provide the nation with much-needed data for development planning and the enthronement of good governance.
“It is, therefore, my great pleasure to launch the VITAL REG system and the National Geo-Spatial Data Repository to the greater glory of God, our unity, and the collective prosperity of our great country.
“I am also pleased to inaugurate the National Coordination Committee of CRVS under the Chairmanship of the National Population Commission, which is composed of stakeholders across relevant federal ministries and agencies,” the president said.
