Former Federal Commissioner at the National Population Commission, Dr Mohammed Durunguwa has warned that Nigeria’s failure to conduct a credible census in nearly two decades is undermining national planning and could jeopardise the integrity of the 2027 general elections.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Durunguwa said the absence of reliable population data since the 2006 census has left the country relying on projections rather than verified figures, making effective governance, resource allocation and credible elections increasingly difficult.
“Population figures, especially in Nigeria, has become something that people up till today are wondering why, because the last census that was conducted was 2006, and this is 2026 now. It’s about 20 years without a credible figure that the country will be using to make sure that it projects or provides or allocates resources appropriately.”
Durunguwa stressed that population data should never be politicised or treated sentimentally. “If by projection today we are having over 242 million people in Nigeria, it means we have to sit up, these figures could be more or less. Why? Because there are no variable ways that the census that was conducted was reliable the way it’s supposed to be.”
He revealed that between 2020 and 2023, extensive preparations were made for a digital census. “If care is not taken, this country is going to lose a lot of money without conducting census, because most of those gadgets that were bought are not obsolete. It’s very difficult for you to conduct census using those gadgets. Again, you have to buy another one.”
According to Durunguwa, conducting a credible census today would require enormous financial and logistical resources. “If you want to conduct census in Nigeria today, you have to deploy nothing less than, nothing less than or even more than two million individuals to conduct that particular census, by the time you multiply it just by that amount, you will know which kind of figure you’re coming up with.”
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