UN: We’ll provide Nigeria with technical support to conduct census

The United Nations Funds for Population Activities (UNFPA) says it is committed to supporting Nigeria carry out a census of international standards.   

Rachel Snow, UNFPA chief population and development branch technical division, made this known during a media interaction in Abuja on Sunday. 

The last census held in Nigeria was in 2006 but recently there have been talks by the federal government to conduct another census in 2022.

TheCable had reported that the federal government earmarked N178.09 billion for the national population and housing census in the 2022 budget. 

Snow said the census is important because it is needed for national developmental plans, adding that the UNFPA will ensure that the census is “transparent and 100 percent inclusive”. 

“The last census in Nigeria was in 2006, all over the world censuses have been delayed and disrupted due to COVID,” she said. 

“Nigeria is now preparing for a census and UNFPA stands ready to provide all the technical support we can to ensure that this census will be of the highest international standard, it would be transparent, it would be 100 percent inclusive and it would provide Nigeria with the data that it needs to fulfill its developmental plans. 

“Census is a count but it is also a chance to find out where people have moved and this is a country which we know since 2006 has endured displacements and probably like many other countries in the continent has seen a large number of young people moving into the city seeking opportunity. Those are the kinds of information that a census can provide so that development activities can be well planned by the government. 

“We look forward to this work, we brought in some of our top technical people, one of whom will be resident now in Nigeria for the coming year too.”