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FG inaugurates 2023 Population and Housing Census Publicity Committee

Published

4 years ago

February 9, 2023

Joel Ajayi

In a bid to have a credible and acceptable 2023 housing census, the federal government has inaugurated census publicity committee.

Speaking on Thursday at official launching of the Committee in Abuja, the Minister of Culture and Information, Lai Muhammed who is the Chairman of the Committee said “Census is a legacy programme of the Buhari Administration, hence we are featuring it here on our Scorecard Series. .

According to him, Ladies and gentlemen, the conduct of the 2023 Population andHousing Census is a top priority for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. It is borne out of the desire to bequeath an enduring legacy of evidence-based planning for sustainable development.

“Our population remains the most important equation in our

national development. The people are both the agents and beneficiaries of development process, hence development must start and end with meeting the aspirations of the people for improved living standard.

The Buhari Administration has invested heavily in human capital development, social infrastructure, agricultural development, all part of building Nigeria’s economic base. The conduct of the 2023.

Population and Housing Census is therefore to complement the giant strides of government by laying a sustainable basis for a planned and prosperous Nigeria.

“The Federal Government notes with satisfaction and commendation thee ffort of the Commission to positively rewrite the history of census in Nigeria through meticulous planning and massive deployment of technology at every stage of the national exercise. We are happy to note that the Commission is not only making efforts to conduct the 2023 Census but also laying a solid foundation for the seamless conduct of future censuses.”

On his part, Nasir Isa Kwarra,Chairman, National Population Commission (NPC), said overarching vision of the 2023 census is to produce not only accurate, reliable and acceptable census data but also an inclusive and user-friendly data that will be used by all segments of the society for development planning and critical programme interventions.

“Therefore, as part of this commitment, the Commission will deploy full digital technology in the conduct of the Census and it will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the results of the census is acceptable to Nigerians and the quality of the data to be generated meets international best standards. This aspiration has informed the methodology and quality of preparations for the census in the last few years. In all these, the need for Advocacy, Publicity and Public Enlightenment cannot be overemphasised.

“Therefore, the mobilization of critical stakeholders to support and take ownership of the process to achieve the desired outcome is imperative and it hinges absolutely on our ability to speak to the people in the language that will galvanize and mobilize them to participate in the 2023 census.

“To this end, the Commission will be relying on your expertise and structures to drive the message into every home and household to drum up support and participation in the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

“In order to ensure that members of the National Census Publicity Committee have good grasp of the processes and methodology of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, a workshop will be organized to keep members of the Committee up-to-date on the preparation for the census. In addition, the Committee should be rest assured of the Commission’s full support for it to deliver on this very important national assignment.”

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Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold

Published

15 hours ago

October 28, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, on Tuesday inaugurated the Nigeria-United States Committee on Strategic Cooperation in the Solid Minerals Sector in Abuja, dismissing reports that Nigeria sold $700 billion worth of solid minerals to the US.

The inauguration followed the strategic cooperation framework established between Nigeria and the United States during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head PRESS and Public Relations Department Mrs. Kania Maliki Andeyaba stated that, Alake in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed with the US is a government-to-government platform to facilitate business-to-business engagements between American investors and Nigerian local operators, not a sale of assets.

Harping on the importance of the solid minerals sector to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, he noted that the administration was committed to reducing dependence on a mono-product economy through the sustainable development of Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.

According to him, the Nigeria–US partnership as a strategic initiative to attract investment, promote technology transfer, strengthen local mineral processing and create employment opportunities.

“There is no sale of any Nigerian asset. There’s nothing exchanging hands,” Alake declared.

“We created a platform to facilitate mingling of US investment ventures with Nigeria’s local operators. It is in the public domain. We signed it in public and published it in four or five national newspapers.”

The Minister said reports claiming the US was coming to take over Nigeria’s minerals and security architecture were untrue at best and products of riotous imagination at worst.

Explaining the policy thrust, Alake said Africa has historically held the short end of the stick in global economic transactions, and Nigeria is determined to change that model.

“We have the resources, the critical elements the world needs to transit to clean energy. So we are creating a new paradigm — you bring your capital, expertise and technology, to match with our natural resources and create a win-win situation . The investor gains, Nigeria gains.’’he said.

Nigeria, he stressed, had operated a mono-cultural economy dependent on oil, while solid minerals were exploited informally — with ores taken “from pit to port” without value addition.

Alake said government has now made local processing mandatory, refusing to grant mineral titles to investors without a clear pathway to processing in Nigeria.

He said the policy led to the springing up of processing factories, including the largest lithium processing plant in West Africa commissioned recently in Nasarawa by the Vice President, and informed the formation of the African Minerals Strategy Group.

Alake noted that investor confidence has returned due to macro-economic reforms by President Bola Tinubu that guarantee security of tenure and repatriation of profits.

He charged the committee to discharge its assignment responsibly, saying its work is strategic to achieving the President’s $1 trillion economy target.

To this end, he told the Committee to ensure effective coordination, identify investment opportunities and translate the framework into measurable outcomes capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in the global solid minerals industry.

In his welcome address, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said the inauguration translates growing bilateral engagements into a structured framework for practical cooperation and investment mobilization

Economic Officer at the US Embassy, Jonathan Baas, said President Donald Trump has prioritized three areas for US embassies — energy, artificial intelligence/super intelligence, and critical minerals.

Baas said Washington’s direction is to work with partners to secure critical supply chains while ensuring partners capture value.

“We just signed a contract today on looking into building AI data centres in Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit. That’s the direction Washington wants us to go,” he said.

In his vote of thanks, CEO/Managing Director of Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, NSMC said that the committee

is expected to coordinate implementation, facilitate investment and monitor progress towards achieving the objectives of the Nigeria–US cooperation framework.

The inauguration reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector as a key driver of economic diversification, industrial development and national prosperity under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

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