He noted that a total of N869 billion ($1.88 billion) will be required for the census including post census activities; N626 billion ($1.36 billion) for census at $6 per capita and N243 billion ($527 million) for post-census activities up to 2025.
17 years after the last national census (2006), Nigeria is set to conduct a green census.
The counting exercise will be held between 29 March and 2 April in all 774 local government areas of Africa’s largest population.
Nigeria’s population is estimated to be about 216 million according to the UN population agency, UNFPA and according to statistical projections, if Nigeria continues in its current direction, there will be a 100 per cent increase in its population by 2050 – 400 million people.
Speaking at the high-level partners engagement in Abuja on Monday, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Budget and National Planning Clem Agba said the census will be conducted in partnership with various development partners including the UNFPA, EU amongst others.
He noted that a total of N869 billion ($1.88 billion) will be required for the census including post census activities; N626 billion ($1.36 billion) for census at $6 per capita and N243 billion ($527 million) for post-census activities up to 2025.
Mr Agba noted that the government has committed N291.5 billion ($632 million) representing 46 percent of the total funding needed for the exercise.
The Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed also noted that digital technology will be deployed for credible, reliable and acceptable outcomes, adding that censuses allow the government to correctly capture changes in the population, the age structure or movement of population for alignment of public policy, and also for investment decisions.
According to Mr Agba, 885,000 persons will be trained to conduct the dual purpose census; population and housing.
773 local governments have been demarcated with the exception of Abadam local government in Borno State where residents were not very receptive of the personnel. The government has now adopted a hybrid enumeration strategy.
Other areas with similar challenges include Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State and other localities in Zamfara State. However, the census planning committee assured that its security and logistics committee have all it takes to handle the situation.
For this year’s census, people will not be asked about their ethnicity and religion owing to their sensitive nature.
“Including ethnicity and religion in the census will create tensions and controversy that will divert attention from the relevance of census data for national planning. It is therefore prudent to leave out these items to safeguard the census from controversies and risk of rejection by certain sections of the country,” the National Population Commission (NPC) explained.
“We have to stand up together figuring out how we take this to the goal post. If we do not, the world will actually fail to deliver the SDGs. It is not only about Nigeria’s influence in Africa, it is about Nigeria’s global influence as the third most populous country in the world, 25 years from now,” said Ulla Mueller UNFPA resident representative in Nigeria while enjoining all stakeholders to support the exercise.
She added that the world cannot deliver on the SDGs if we do not deliver the census in Nigeria; so when you contribute to the census in Nigeria, you also contribute to the global promise of achieving and delivering on sustainable development.