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Census’ Further Delay Amounts To Waste Of Resources

Published

3 months ago

September 26, 2024

By Joel Ajayi

One year six Months into the government of “Renewed Hope“ coordinated by President Bola Tinubu has yet to announce a date for Nigeria’s long overdue, long-awaited National Population and Housing Census, which many believe is paramount to better national planning and exceptional governance.

The delay comes after former President Muhammadu Buhari postponed the 2023 census indefinitely, leaving the responsibility of setting a new date to his successor.

Despite pledging support for the census, Tinubu has yet to confirm when the exercise will take place, leaving key stakeholders anxious about the impact of further delays.

The last census in Nigeria was conducted in 2006, recording a population of 140 million. Since then, the country has relied on estimated figures for policy decisions, which has left many concerned about data accuracy for resource allocation and representation.

A year after taking over power, Tinubu is yet to announce a date for the exercise. Nigerians who know the importance of the census are bothered by the delay in the announcement of the new date. They are more worried that no provision was made for it in the N27.5 trillion 2024 federal budget.

Stakeholders in the number frowned at the delay in conducting the much-awaited census while many tag the delay as a waste of resources

Furthermore, information in the public domain shows that before the rescheduling, the National Population Commission had concluded the implementation of all the necessary preparatory activities. They include the Enumeration Area Demarcation, conduct of pre-test and trial census, recruitment and training of census field staff, procurement and configuration of Personal Digital Assistants, and the establishment of Information and Communication Technology infrastructure across the country.

According to the NPC, all the processes of the census are going to be technology-driven. As the enumerators are getting information in the field using the PDA, it would be transmitted automatically from the system to the server.

The use of technology would make the fresh census more credible, transparent, and acceptable than previous censuses conducted in the country.

The Commission equally conducted robust advocacy and publicity campaigns across the country, to sensitize Nigerians to the exercise. They were in the process of recruiting enumerators when the immediate-past administration rescheduled the exercise. Given that Tinubu promised during the campaigns to continue where Buhari stopped, many Nigerians, including this writer, thought that the census would be handled with a sense of urgency, considering its immense benefits to the country. So far, our expectations on the exercise have not been met.

Conducting a census is a capital-intensive exercise. There is no doubt about that. The United States Agency for International Development described the census as “the most expensive data collection activity a country can undertake, involving thousands of workers and millions of dollars of cost.”

The process of conducting a census involves many events and stages. However, in considering the cost and the rigour, we should also look at the numerous benefits.

The census is the spine of the national statistical system. For example, development planners need population information for all kinds of development work, including assessing demographic trends and analyzing socio-economic trends and economic conditions. Similarly, data generated from the exercise are vital to budgeting and the implementation, monitoring, as well as evaluation of the effectiveness of government programs and policies, including immunization and Universal Basic Education programs

Likewise, census data could be used for tracking the progress towards national and internationally agreed development plans, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, designing evidence-based poverty reduction strategies, and empowering local communities with information to enable them to participate in decision-making. In the political sphere, census data are used for the creation of federal and state constituencies to enhance effective representation in government.

Nigeria practices representative democracy and the constitution makes population a prerequisite for the creation of federal and state constituencies, which constitutes a critical basis of representation in the country.

The Senate and House of Representatives have passed resolutions, asking the Independent National Electoral Commission to carry out its mandate of creating new federal constituencies in line with Section 73 (1) of the 1999 Constitution. The electoral umpire has often used the prolonged non-conduct of population census as an excuse for refusing to do so.

In addition, data generated from a census could be used for academic research and feasibility studies by research and development departments of companies and corporate organizations, for promotions, programs, and projects. These are to mention but a few. Regrettably, Nigeria, the widely acclaimed “Giant of Africa” has been deprived of these benefits for almost two decades, as a result of its inability to conduct the census. The last population enumeration in the country took place in 2006. Since then, Nigeria has been planning based on population estimates and projections, using outdated data. We should also not lose sight of the fact that the last census was marred by controversies like the previous ones.

By international convention, a census exercise should be held in a country at least once every 10 years. The United Nations recommends at least once every five years to guarantee better and more current data. Nigeria held its last census 18 years ago.

Going by the UN recommendation, Nigeria ought to have held at least three censuses and should be preparing for the fourth one by now. We are, however, lagging behind our peers.

However, NPC proposed November 2024 for the census but is still awaiting presidential approval.

Experts on Friday warned that further delays could waste resources and impede critical national planning.

According to the information from NPC, the commission is “99 percent ready” to carry out the census.

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Featured

Dikko And The New Vision Accountability and Development in Sports

Published

7 days ago

December 16, 2024

The Gleamer

Felly Mammah N.

Since the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhaji Shehu Dikko assumed office on the 30th of October, 2024, he has systematically and deliberately been putting in place structures that would result to proper development of sports in Nigeria. Shortly after he was first appointed by President Bola Tinubu as a leading strength of sports, the Director General (DG), Hon. Bukola Olapade was appointed to compliment his efforts.

Many sports analysts believe that the duo of Dikko and Olapade who have been very visible in sports administration will be one of the best combination to take the sports sector to the next level. The DG no doubt, is the head of administration in the Commission, but it should be noted that the financial enablement to manage the affairs of staff and the political might that shops for the finance needed in the running of the sector rest on the Chairman who has the task of liaising with the President directly.

It is also, worthy to note that there is a huge difference between the administration of in the Civil Service as it is controlled by a Permanent Secretary and Directors while the administration of a Commission involves Board Members and experts whose voices and actions are also, game-changing; more so as Commissioners are likely going to take charge of the different zones to proffer solutions for a way forward. The defunct Ministry of Youths and Sports Development which later in 2023 metamorphosed into the Ministry of Sports Development on the assumption of President Bola Tinubu, produced a minister who was not versed in sports administration and as a result, faced mass criticism especially from men of the media.

These men of the pen profession are the torchlight of global sporting activity; they equally keep the history of both sports participation globally as well as the records of athletes’ performances. Their torchlight on past Minister’s and particularly the recent past, have revealed that most of the people who presided over sports administration do not really have any knowledge of the sector before their appointment.

The exit of the immediate past Minister, Sen. John Owan Enoh, refreshingly paved the way for change and this has brought in sports personnels that are expected to place sporting activities in the digital world. Suffice it to also, say that the new management of Sports Commission in parts of her changes is expected to sanitize athletes’ attitude and character for better reflection of children who have seen and communicated with their peers in the Western world.

However, the clarion call for President Tinubu to remove politics in sports may have changed the leadership of sports going by what many sports fans saw in the last outing of both Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, where a country like Nigeria did not measure up to her potentials.

Despite the poor performance of atheletes during the World Olympics Games, the past immediate past Minister deserves to be commended that during his tenure, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Games was reawakened as the participation of our Super Eagles brought back hope and jubilation to sports fans including the President and higher authorities. Yes whopping sum of N12 Billion was released two weeks to the Olympics Games and at a time the country was not financially stable. Despite the presidential financial support, the medals presented to the country were crisis and ignorant of both the atheletes, Nigeria Olympic Committee and the Atheletic Federaton to do the needful.

Therefore, it is heart-warming that the President harkened to the appeal of his fellow sports lovers to handpick a known figure in the sports arena to share his wealth of experience that gave him both a name in Sports and positions as the former Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Chairman League Management Company (LMC), FIFA match Commissioner of significance, 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and presently, CAF Committee Member, in addition to his new portfolio as Chairman NSC.

My reference point here is that Alh. Dikko has been given the authority to effect positive change in sports sector, co-ordinate over 40 Sports Federations in the sector, welcome ideas of both sports stakeholders, individuals and veterans of sports that will enable him x-ray the reasons for poor performances in the sector and to chat a way forward for success story. There can never be a new testament without an old testament, thus the reason Alh. Dikko’s doors have remained opened to receive courtesy calls that included the visits by past administrators and foreigners who want to facilitate with whom the cap fits.

Still, in the mood of celebration to formally welcome Alh. Dikko to office was the peculiar power of sports which gathered momentum and the crowd for happy moments as seen in the recent novelty match organized by his friends, associates and sports veterans at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja recently. That gathering clearly announced not just a man who has made a name for himself at a height in global political decision making in sports circle, but a man who has also, given voice to our country’s leagues and international activities.

Sports is a significant sector that comprises emotion, tension, happiness, sadness even death and hope irrespective of the fact that it has the potential to feed many mouths. The sector cannot be compared to other Ministries with delayed bureaucracies and frustration of abilities. While in the civil service the head will rather submerge a growing talent for fear of power thrown, a coach who discovers a talent takes the credit for showcasing a star athelete discovered. Sports has been proven to generate revenue as well as attract public partnership which are all aimed at enhancing podium performance by the athletes.

Shehu Dikko’s business vision and wide participation in football contributed in making him the right candidate to place the sector in its expected level, increase the GDP of the country’s economy and equally be accountable with administrative roadmap for success.

The novelty match organised for him by his sports fans and League managers had the likes of Samson Siasia, Victor Ikpeba, Mutiu Adepoju, Dominic Iorfa, Ahmed Musa in attendance to share their joy with him as they displayed their talent with their foot.
Others that graced the occasion were Super Sports General Manager, Felix Nwogu, former and present Chairmen of House Committee on Sports, NFF President, NOC members and persons from across the globe. That singular act indicated a clear fact that Dikko can actually gather momentum with persons that can support his ideology to deliver as charged by the presidency.

However, the Chairman’s meekness to open his doors to all does not mean weakness neither does it mean that he has not commenced work officially. His work is more of brain tasking because ideas actually rule the world. I will boldly say that he has resumed work with like minds that will not only be on the same page with him but will as well be on success Guinness Book with him.

Felly Mammah N.
Press Officer (NSC).

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