The Urgent Need for a Population Census in Nigeria

The Urgent Need for a Population Census in Nigeria

Firstly what is a population? According to dictionary.com, it is the total number of persons inhabiting a country, state, or district. The population census is the official counting of a population in the territory of a country and the collection of information on selected demographics and socio-economic characteristics of the population. Almost all countries conduct a population census at least once every 10 years.

Without gathering statistics about the number of people living in a place at a particular period of time, it will be impossible to compare socio-cultural, economic, social, and demographic changes. Moreover, it will be impossible to estimate the level of life in the country and make forecasts about the perspective of national development and national population growth. The last detailed census in Nigeria was in 2006, and it was stated that there were 140,003,542 people in Nigeria (according to www.nigerianmuse.com). Now, it is estimated that about 198,137,000 people live in Nigeria according to www.worldometers.info. 

According to the United Nations (UN), the census should be conducted every 10 years in all countries but for Nigeria, it was last conducted in 2006, and now we are currently in 2022 which means it’s been 16 years since Nigeria conducted any form of the census. It’s clear that a census is urgently needed in Nigeria and it needs to be done on time to help the country plan for the future.  While some factors have made it difficult for a population census to be conducted in Nigeria a solution needs to be found. 

Ethnicity and religious disputes have been a hindering factor over the years for example Muslims tend to prevent their women from participating in the process. Therefore, northern indicators are always higher than elsewhere in Nigeria, which generates discrimination.

There are various people with several religious beliefs and traditions that might stand as a hindering factor for conducting the census and will most times make the reports inaccurate. Another hindering factor is the issue of corruption in Nigeria, the level of corruption in Nigeria is alarming and it has spread across every sector in the country. 

There have been various claims of corrupt officials who collect money for census activities but do not carry out the procedure, they mostly just state false results and put the money in their pockets. Different regions need to overstate the size of their population to ensure that they get more funds from the federal government. The corruption rate in Nigeria would hinder the successful census process. 

Another hindering factor is the cost of the census; achieving a successful census in Nigeria would cost quite a lot and the government is used to postponing and making excuses to avoid conducting the census. Illiteracy is also another major issue, there are many illiterate citizens in Nigeria, and this affects the population adversely. Studies conducted over the years have also shown a similar trend in other states people tend to avoid contact with officials conducting the census. 

Some people also act hostile as they consider getting counted as taboo. It is usually difficult to find out the actual population of Nigeria if the citizens don't support the process, a lot of the elderly citizens tend to avoid the practice and that makes the data inaccurate. 

The crying state of the infrastructure in some areas of Nigeria has been a hindering factor in conducting the population census. Bad roads, electricity problems, and many other factors can affect the officials from going to some areas to conduct the census. For a successful census to be achieved every city, village, and town needs to be accessed.  Finally, the lack of census specialists with the necessary level of qualification in Nigeria is a major obstacle to conducting the census. Only experienced experts dealing with population issues and demographers can carry out this difficult task properly. If the population census procedure is entrusted to inexperienced individuals, the obtained result will be of low quality and contain inaccurate figures. 

It’s quite clear that there are a lot of factors that are affecting the country from achieving a successful population census, if the government can create media awareness and also ensure public enlightenment programs for the masses, it would go a long way in helping the country plan ahead for the future and also aid development of the country. Nigeria needs a population census urgently it’s been 16 years; it’s time for a change. 

OWOYEMI KOREDE F.