The Federal Government has proposed N1.1bn in the 2025 budget for the long-delayed national population and housing census, marking an increase from the N693.3m set aside in 2024, The PUNCH gathered on Wednesday.

Additional census-related allocations of N527m were included in the 2025 budget, which is currently before the National Assembly for vetting and ratification.

Some of the census-related activities included N78m for the national population data bank, Nigerian population database management system geo-portal hosting of population website and web portal; N2.7m for the preparation of the Enumeration Area Demarcation concept manual; N10m for census programmes in schools; N25m for conduct second pretest; N10m for stakeholders conference to present 2018 census instrument; N2.5m for development of small area /EA level database for spatial analysis and dissemination; N2m for field demarcation in 774 local government areas.

Others include N17.7m for intercensal population activities (intercensal survey, population projections at national and sub-national levels, sentinel survey, Nigerian demographic, and health survey, etc) and development of a small area-level database for spatial analysis and dissemination; N247.3m for census publicity and advocate (publicity, information, communication, DNA enlightenment for population programs, through print electronic media, etc; N40m for census research, documentation, and archiving (research on historical events, special populations e.g. herdsmen, fishermen, homeless persons, migrant farmers, etc); N2.3m for cartographic consumables for enumeration area demarcation exercise (umbrella, etc); and N90m for the commemoration of world population day/annual population census day.

Nigeria?s last census was in 2006, despite the United Nations? recommendation that countries conduct population counts every 10 years.

The national census, initially scheduled for May 3-7, 2023, was postponed indefinitely during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

At the time, the National Population Commission stated that N532.7bn would be needed to conduct the census.

The former Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, later revised this figure to N869bn, noting that N291.5bn had been committed, with an additional N327.2bn required.

Despite the postponement, the NPC reported spending N200bn on planning and partial execution of the census.

NPC Chairman, Nasir Kwarra, expressed hope in November 2024 that the Presidency would approve the conduct of the census in 2025. (The PUNCH)

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