In just two months, Nigeria is expected to conduct its sixth population and housing enumeration exercise. This will be the fifth since gaining independence from British colonial masters. Even before the amalgamation of the colonies that became Nigeria in 1914, the British imperialists adopted a decennial system of enumeration, conducting censuses in 1866, 1871, 1881, 1891, and 1901. This allowed them to have a good idea of population figures, projected tax revenues, and development plans.
However, the system was disrupted by the two World Wars, and Nigeria’s first census as a political entity took place in 1952/53. Since then, irregular censuses have been conducted in 1962, 1962/63, 1973, 1991, and 2006. The upcoming census will be the first in 17 years.
Unfortunately, censuses in Nigeria have always been politicized, as population figures are a significant metric for the federal allocation of funds to federating units such as regions, states, and local government areas. As a result, federating units often make efforts to artificially inflate their figures. This tendency to politicize censuses and the failure to use them for planning purposes have almost rendered them irrelevant. Censuses have become tools for enriching the political elite who benefit overnight by being involved in politics.
In 2006, the census put Nigeria’s population at 140 million, but the current rough estimate puts it between 211 and 215 million, making it the seventh most populous country. However, the emphasis on political aggrandizement makes it difficult to justify this claim.
The government has already spent N291 billion of the N869 billion required to conduct the 2023 census and is shopping for over N500 billion between now and the next two months for the exercise. However, the huge bill is something we doubt the nation can afford right now.
Until Nigeria recalibrates its population census and management to prevent politics-driven inflation of figures, it will be wasting scarce resources on irrelevant enumeration exercises.
The census must be for economic planning, not consumption, and should be shelved and rejigged for a more effective relaunch when the economy improves. All huge spending must be stopped, and scarce funds must be allocated to items that are prioritized at any given time.
Muhammed Bolanle Hakeemat, a student of Mass Communication, wrote via oayinde201@gmail.com