NIGERIA NEEDS N869 BILLION TO CONDUCT THE 2023 CENSUS

The Federal Government will need a staggering N869 billion to conduct the National Population and Housing Census diligently and without a hitch, which is set to begin on March 29.

The government intends to create a basket fund to recoup donations and commitments made in support of the census, despite the fact that it claims to have already gathered N291.5 billion in that amount.

At a high-level partner engagement on the 2023 population census, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, highlighted that the required amount will be used to pay the census and other post-census operations.

He said that N626 billion, or $1.36 billion, will be spent for the actual census, while N243 billion, or $527 million, will be utilized for activities related to the census's aftermath over the following three years.

Agba stated that 773 local governments have already been established and that a total of 885,000 enumerators will receive seven days of training in building numbering and household listing.

He explained that the census will be carried out in collaboration with organizations that support development, and that UNFPA would be in charge of the newly created basket fund.

Ulla Mueller, the UNFPA representative in Nigeria, gave stakeholders instructions to support the initiative while assuring them of the organization's ongoing assistance and counsel.

"It's a green census. Climate change is real. So we have together with the population commission gone over and beyond to ensure that we apply methodologies that are friendly to the climate to the extent possible.

"The government has contributed already almost half of this budget and is commendable. We have to stand together figuring out how we take this to the goalpost. If we don't, the world will fail to deliver the SDGs. It's not only about Nigeria's influence in Africa but it's also about Nigeria's global influence as the third most populous country."

According to statistics and a 3.2% growth rate, Nigeria is predicted to have 400 million or more people by 2050, making it the fourth-most populated country after India, China, and the United States.

According to estimates, eight nations, including Nigeria, are responsible for more than half of the global population growth.