CSO Urges NASS to Renew Conversation on Census

The Conference of Ethnic Tribes and Minorities (COETAM) in Nigeria has called on the members of the National Assembly to renew and escalate calls for a credible national census exercise which is long overdue for the country.

In a statement released to journalists in Abuja on Monday by the organization and signed by Comrade Patrick Ameh commended the Committees on National Population and Identity in the 10th National Assembly for it’s co-operation and excellent legislative roles in guiding the National Population Commission in the performance of their functions.

“As we are all aware, the role of the National Population Commission is critical to the planning and development of the nation which is the ultimate agenda of the current administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.

The group noted that without credible data, Nigeria’s development would be hindered insisting that considering the last census exercise which was done in 2006 , there is every urgent need for government to conduct another national exercise to accommodate the sudden population explosion and correct the defects of the last census exercise which was widely contested.

“Even by our own laws as pioneered by the national assembly and the United Nations conventions, a national Population Census exercise is long overdue hence the appeal for action” “There can be no meaningful development and prosperity if the government continues to plan with unreliable data especially in the face of global economic uncertainties ” The statement added.

The organization also highlighted the sterling reforms spearheaded in the management of future census exercises under the current leadership of the Commission with regard to the preparation for the proposed national census exercise ” Worthy of note is the transition of the commission’s operational capacities; seamlessly replacing analog operations with digital systems that would minimize and eliminate human errors to ensure credibility of the exercise”

“The training and retraining of over one million resources persons across the country, the acquisition of Digital Personnel Assistants , the design, development and procurement of relevant IT infrastructure as well as the successful demarcation and marking of the entire country by the commission, more than ever points to the preparedness of the Commission to deliver a credible and acceptable census exercise when Mr President issues the proclamation” This is highly commendable.

“At the level of Civil Society Organizations, we are confident that the current Commission under the leadership of Alh Nasir Isa Kwarra is positioned to deliver on its mandate hence the appeal for our elected representatives to renew and escalate the conversation for this very important exercise as part of their roles for in seeking the good of their people” If we prioritize census as we do the elections , we can be sure as a nation to experience even development. ” this is the only way to appropriate resources and services based on statistics for the overall public good”

The group also called on civil society, religious leaders, traditional rulers and corporate organizations to join the conversation on the need for a truly credible national census exercise as soon as practicable so as to reset and fasttrack development to match President Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda.