‘Population is Nigeria’s greatest strength,’ Tinubu pledges support for NPC on national census

President Bola Tinubu said on Wednesday the Federal Government would support the National Population Commission (NPC) in the conduct of the next national census.

The president stated this at the launch of the Digital Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System, and the National Geospatial Data Repository at the State House, Abuja.

Tinubu described Nigeria’s population as the country’s greatest asset in its mission to become one of the largest economies in the world.

He was however silent on the new date for the exercise.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari in April approved the postponement of the census to a new date to be determined by the incoming administration at the time.

The exercise was initially slated to take place from May 3-7 across the country.

READ ALSO: Reps to investigate N200bn spent on postponed national census

Nigeria conducted its last national census in 2006.

President Tinubu said: “Our population remains the greatest asset of the nation in the development process.

“Collecting accurate and reliable information on the size, distribution, composition, and characteristics of the population is an essential governance activity that is also consistent with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.

“The Commission will therefore be supported in the conduct of the next census.

“Coming at a time when the Commission has made substantial progress in its quest to deliver the first digital population and housing census, it is my hope that the result of the census will provide the nation with much-needed data for development planning and the enthronement of good governance.”

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