We can delay the 2018 census
At a recent press conference in Abuja last week, Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC) Chief Eze Duruiheoma announced the commencement of fieldwork for the third phase of the Enumeration Areas Demarcation (EAD) for the 2018 Census. He said N200billion is required to conduct the 2018 population and housing census across the country. The […]
At a recent press conference in Abuja last week, Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC) Chief Eze Duruiheoma announced the commencement of fieldwork for the third phase of the Enumeration Areas Demarcation (EAD) for the 2018 Census. He said N200billion is required to conduct the 2018 population and housing census across the country. The funds, he said, will be spread over four years to cover pre-census, main census and post-census periods. He also said international donor agencies usually play a supportive financial role in ensuring the census’ success.
The NPC Chairman said EAD is critical to population census because it “constitutes the foundation upon which the entire census architecture stands as it forms the basis for the planning and execution of the census project”. In the pre-census period, the total number of Enumeration Areas is required for census planning particularly the deployment of personnel, logistics and materials for the pre-test, trial test, the main census and the post enumeration survey.
According to him, EAD’s third phase will take place in 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Commission, he said, at the end of the third phase of EAD would have successfully demarcated 74 LGAs and the remaining 700 LGAs in the country shall be covered under subsequent EAD phases. He also said a “50-person demarcation team has been recruited across the country including the FCT”. The NPC boss said factors such as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) shall be factored into the exercise. He therefore appealed to traditional institutions and communities to support NPC in the conduct of EADs preparatory to the 2018 Census.
NPC was established by the federal government in 1988. It has the statutory mandate to collect, analyse and disseminate demographic data in the country. The founding law of the Commission is enshrined in section 153 of the country’s 1999 constitution. NPC has the power to undertake periodic enumerations of population through sample survey or censuses. It is also mandated to maintain a register for births and deaths throughout the country. Nigeria has had censuses in 1953, 1963, 1973, 1991 and 2006.
Highly desirable though the 2018 census is, a big hurdle stands in its way. It is the economic situation in the country. Spending N200 billion on the census at this time looks like a misplacement of national priorities, even if donor agencies defray some of the cost. In a situation where workers’ salaries are not paid in some places and where our infrastructure is crying for maintenance, a full census could wait for a more opportune time.
Although population census is expected to hold at least once in every 10 years, we have not always adhered to that time table. After the 1973 census exercise, which was later cancelled by the Murtala regime, it took another 18 years before we had another one in 1991. After that we did not have a census again until 15 years later in 2006. Ideally, we should have had another census last year. A census in 2018 will be 12 years after the last one. However, if circumstances make it difficult for us to hold a national census next year, we should wait until a more opportune time.
That does not mean NPC should rest on its oars because there are many other methods by which it could compile demographic data that will assist in national planning. NPC said another thing which we would like to advise against. Questions about respondents’ religion and tribe were excluded from the last two census exercises. Even though it was claimed at the time that they were excluded in order to reduce the number of questions and accelerate the exercise, the unstated real reason was that census figures are rigged because of these two. We advise NPC to continue to exclude them from the next census exercise.