2023 census shouldn’t be waste of resources, time, IPAC tells govts

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has called on government at all levels not to allow the 2023 Population and Housing Census be a waste of resources and time without corresponding improvement in Nigerians’ well-being.

The Lagos State IPAC Chairman, Mr Olusegun Mobolaji, made this call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.

Mobolaji said that the essence of the exercise.should not he defeated at the end of the exercise.

“It is a good step in the right direction. Under a normal circumstance, any nation that cares about its people and their well- being as well as development, infrastructure should conduct this at regular interval.

“We should know the average number of people and the age category so as to make provision when it comes to education, health and other basic amenities for the people.

“This data and statistics should help the government to make proper provision for all categories of citizens that we have.

“We just pray that this will not be an exercise in futility or another channel of siphoning public funds.

“I am afraid this will not bring financial corruption that will still take away the little resources that we have as a nation.

“It should not be a waste of nation’s resources without bringing desired results. We should guard against anything that can make it another waste of resources and time,” the IPAC chairman said.

He said that after the exercise, the situation of the country should not remain the same.

Mobolaji said that the exercise should elicit improvement and advancement for the nation.

“We have everything it takes to grow this nation, make it rapidly developing and build the economy.

“When we look at the motif behind population census, every one knows it is a good thing in the right direction, but will Nigeria not remain the same because of leadership failure after the enumeration?

“This exercise should give Nigerians confidence that things will change for good for them,” he added.

The IPAC boss expressed confidence that the incoming administration would make the essence of the head count a difference.

“We look forward to a better life for Nigerians after the exercise. If the incoming government can make a difference using the population census, it would be exciting.

“We just advise that the incoming administration will use the data to make a difference in term of technology, infrastructure, economy and making life better for Nigerians,” he said.

NAN reports that the National Housing and Population Census, expected to hold between May 3 and May 5, 2023 is coming 17 years after the last exercise held in 2006.

The 2023 census enumeration of the Nigerian population across the nation’s 774 Local Government Areas will be the fifth national census in the country since Independence.

The 2006 census pegs Nigeria’s population at 140 million.