Editor
By Fatima Saka
Chairman Senate Committee on National Identity and National Population, Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi has said lack of headcount in Nigeria, is becoming a global and security issues.
The chairman emphasized that most of the developing countries that have reached where they are trying to control their population, adding that it is a very important matter within the global security in Nigeria.
The Senator representing Bauchi Central district made this statement in an interactive sessions with the newsmen after budget presentation to committee on Appropriation on Tuesday in Abuja at the National Assembly Complex.
Senator Ningi stressed that the story revolves around the population in Nigeria is becoming a concern. “You could recall the last time we had a population was 2006, and according to the United Nations mandated that every nation should have a population of at least 10 years.
“And you could see the way we’re growing. We chunk out data to the public; they’re all a little bit of guesswork. The population commission had been saddled with conducting essentials before 2020.
“They were given a lot of money by the former President Buhari in 2020, and 2021 and since 2010 to do this, have gone ahead to do the needful in trying to animate the entire country.
“And they have gotten all the gadgets , all they needed to do was to have any capital or money, which will include the personnel they’re going to hire for the 2020 census that has reached a level whereby there will be population census intelligence at 23.
“But because of the national election that was abandoned, therefore I wasn’t expecting a close for the national population census in 2024, but nothing is available.
“They’ve already spent over 200 billion in the preparation. They don’t need 200 billion to make sure that the population count is concluded. So the highest capital they have for this year’s budget is one 1.1 billion naira.
“Some of us are actually worried why the population is not going to place. However, from the sources, present scientific data they’re presented. If we don’t do the census by 2024, that means everything that has been spent on the national census will go down the drain and that is most disturbing.”
