By Adekunle Williams
The Lagos State House of Assembly has urged the National Population Commission (NPC) to conduct credible population and housing census for effective planning in the country.
The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Security and Strategies, Mr Setonji David, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday.
NAN reports that the 2023 National Population and Housing Census is expected to begin on May 3.
The three-day exercise will start on May 3 and end on May 5, 2023 across the 36 States in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
David explained that the country should not continue to guess its population, noting that a census in the country had been long overdue.
The lawmaker said the best way to set the country on the path of recovery was to secure authentic and verifiable records of its population through a validly conducted national census.
He said: “It is extremely important to conduct a new national census; the last one conducted was in 2006.
“And, 17 years is too long a time for such exercise and it does not augur well for us as a country to rely solely on projections by foreign bodies on her population figures for planning.
“So, in this light, we are expecting a credible and transparent census because it is a good tool for planning the economy, health, education, among others in the country.
“We want the commission to conduct a credible census that will reflect the true population of each local government area and states.”
The assembly’s spokesperson said the 2023 census was not anchored on religion, ethnicity, tribe but on development and growth of the nation.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to support the proposed 2023 population and housing census for the benefit of all. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Chioma Ugboma
