TINUBU INAUGURATES HIGH-POWERED COMMITTEE TO FUND 2025 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS
The federal government has activated a Presidential Committee on Population and Housing Census to identify viable funding options and establish clear timelines for Nigeria’s much-delayed enumeration exercise. Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, who chairs the newly inaugurated ad hoc committee, made the disclosure at its maiden meeting in Abuja.
The committee, inaugurated last week by President Bola Tinubu, was tasked with offering advisory input on financing strategies, institutional coordination, and practical deadlines for the National Population Commission (NPC)’s proposed biometric digital census. It is composed of top federal officials, including the Minister of Finance, Minister of Information, the FIRS chairman, the DG of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and presidential aides.
Bagudu clarified that the committee is distinct from the NPC and will not take over the Commission’s legal mandate. Instead, it will guide on resource mobilisation, review the existing census budget—proposed at N949 billion—and ensure that the process is aligned with current economic realities.
Emphasising the urgency of the task, Bagudu said, “A national census is not a routine administrative exercise; it is a sovereign investment in evidence-based governance.” He added that the committee had just three weeks to submit preliminary recommendations to the president.
The committee is expected to assess the NPC’s technical preparedness and recommend improvements, as well as determine the most feasible timeline for the exercise. President Tinubu, while endorsing the census effort, insisted it must be fiscally prudent and technologically credible, particularly in light of Nigeria’s urbanisation, security, and development challenges.
