The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to conducting a credible, transparent and internationally acceptable national census.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this in Abuja while receiving the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr Aminu Yusuf, who led a management delegation on a courtesy visit.
Idris said credible population data remained critical to national planning and development.
“Credible data remains the foundation of national planning. Without accurate population figures, effective development planning becomes impossible,” the minister said.
He assured the NPC of the readiness of the ministry and its agencies to support the census exercise through public mobilisation and advocacy.
According to him, agencies including the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON) and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) are prepared to mobilise Nigerians once a census date is proclaimed.
“The ministry and its agencies stand fully ready to mobilise Nigerians and drive nationwide advocacy whenever the President proclaims a census date,” Idris said.
The minister said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was focused on ensuring that the census process met legal and international standards.
“The Tinubu administration is committed to conducting a census that Nigerians and the international community can trust, prioritising process, legality and credibility over haste,” he added.
Idris noted that a presidential proclamation remained the legal basis for conducting a census, adding that all necessary requirements were being aligned to meet global standards.
He urged the NPC to continue to make use of government-owned media platforms for public enlightenment on the census, while assuring that the ministry would continue to carry out its mandate of public information in the national interest.
Earlier, the Chairman of the NPC, Dr Aminu Yusuf, commended the Ministry of Information and National Orientation for its support in public mobilisation efforts ahead of the postponed census.
Yusuf said the commission remained operationally ready for the exercise.
“The commission is operationally ready, with systems, logistics, ICT infrastructure and personnel continuously refined to guarantee efficiency, transparency and credibility once a new census date is announced,” he said.
