Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has said the Federal Government has released 60 per cent of N198 billion which was approved in the 2022 Appropriation Act in preparation for the conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

Osinbajo revealed this at the Breakfast Meeting with Partners on the 2023 Population and Housing Census held in Abuja.

Osinbajo represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, explained that the present administration has demonstrated tangible commitment to the conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census as evidenced in the provision of funds for the implementation of important preliminary activities.

According to Osinbajo, “The Nigerian government has since spent about 21 billion naira (USD50 million) for the mapping of the country into enumeration areas for the census.

“The government so far has now approved the sum of 198 billion naira (USD 438 million) in the 2022 Appropriation Act of which about 60% of the funds have since been released.

“This has ensured the implementation of key activities that have positioned the Commission in readiness for the successful conduct of the census in April 2023.”

He, however, acknowledged that more resources and additional funding sources were needed from Nigeria’s committed partners to ensure the successful conduct of the census.

He said: “This breakfast meeting, therefore, is a necessary step towards soliciting your support for the conduct of a census that will be truly digital, scientific and produce data that will guide planning within the context of global economic challenges, insecurity and human development situations.

“I must also commend the National Population Commission, the UNFPA and all partners for their commitment and hard work to meet set goals and objectives.

“I would like to urge our distinguished partners to extend maximum cooperation to the country, our government, in the execution of this very important project.

“It is the expectation of this administration that as our dependable partners you will as always play this expected role towards the successful conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

He noted that by 2050, Nigeria is projected to have 400 million people, adding that government must continue to provide quality basic education, nutrition and healthcare for the citizenry, improving on security and create more job opportunities for the young people, who currently make up more than half of our country’s population.

Also speaking, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the conduct of the Census in April 2023 will be a historic moment for the nation that embodies “our national aspirations and commitment to take our dear nation to the highest pedestal of development planning through the conduct of an accurate and reliable national census.”

Mustapha represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Dr. Habiba Lawal, restated the irrevocable commitment of the Federal Government to improve the welfare of the Nigerian people, noting that practical demonstration has been given to this commitment through the formulation and implementation of landmark projects in education, health, economy, infrastructure and social investment drive.

“Our policies and programmes are driven by the strong conviction that the people of Nigeria are the greatest asset in the development process and having an accurate and reliable headcount that provides detailed information on the size, distribution and characteristics of the population is an essential step towards harnessing their huge potential.

“Conscious of the challenges that bedevilled past censuses, the Government has supported the National Population Commission in its resolve to conduct a digital and transformative census through the deployment of technology on a massive scale.

“The administration has committed resources towards the acquisition of equipment and facilities that will deliver a successful census.

“The implementation of the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) in which the Commission produced digital maps of every part of the country and the use of the Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) in the collection and processing of demographic data are bold steps that will not only mitigate substantially human errors but also result in faster processing of the census data.

“This administration is, therefore, satisfied with the deliberate and innovative ways the history of censuses is being rewritten by the Commission and we are confident that the 2023 Census will deliver enduring legacies for future censuses in Nigeria and a solid basis for sustainable development of our country,” he said.

Mustapha, therefore, appealed to the Development Partners, International Organisations and key players in the private sector to support the country’s effort to conduct the first-ever digital census.

He said: “For any nation, the census is a massive national project, which has rightly been described as the biggest peacetime activity in terms of the mobilisation of human and material resources.

“This is even more so for a country with an estimated population of over 210 million, reputed as the seventh most populous nation on earth.

“The scope of resources (technical, financial and material) required to conduct such a massive exercise will be difficult to cover through government appropriation alone. It is therefore imperative for additional resources to be mobilized nationally and internationally.

“The convening of this partners meeting is therefore geared towards bridging the resource gap for the census.”

In his remarks, Mr. Mathias Schmale, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, said the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends on the availability of fundamental data on population size, population growth, distribution, and characteristics of populations, at all levels – local, national, regional, and international level, to monitor the progress towards 2030.

Schmale, represented by Ms. Ulla Mueller, UNFPA Resident Representative, explained that the ongoing 2023 population and housing census process currently undertaken by the Government of Nigeria will play a vital role in producing the official statistics and providing fundamental information for measuring progress towards the SDGs indicators in Nigeria and beyond.

He said collaboration is also key in a census programme of the scope that is being implemented by the Government of Nigeria, adding that delivering a credible census in a country as large and diverse as Nigeria requires close partnership and cooperation among governments at all levels, donors, the private sector, academia, and citizens.

In his welcome address, Nasir Isa Kwarra, Executive Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), re-assured the determination of the Commission to ensure that the results of the census are acceptable to Nigerians and the quality of the data to be generated meets international best standards for planning and developmental purposes.

Kwarra reiterated that in line with the United Nations principles and recommendations for the 2020 rounds of Population and Housing Censuses, the 2023 Census will be fully digital and the Commission has deployed technology to conduct the exercise and enhance data quality.

He, therefore, pledged that funds given to the Commission will be judiciously managed in a transparent manner while pleading with development partners to join hands with the NPC in realising the dream of providing the needed demographic data that will facilitate and place Nigeria on the pedestal of sustainable development.