One of the challenges confronting the presidency is the proposed 2018 census. Th e on-going Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) exercise which is already at its third phase, and the successes recorded so far in this preparatory step are all pointers to the fact that the stage is now set for the next census year. Census exercise has both human and divine involvements. Historically, it can be traced to Biblical times.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the fi rst day of the second month, saying, take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls” Numbers 1:1-2 Compilation of demographic data for different reasons remains a constant characteristics of all civilizations past or present. Usually, the purposes of such compilation among the past civilizations were, in the main, to impose taxations, assign military duties and other onerous community services upon those considered to be eligible.
However, the purpose of compiling and keeping record in the modern society has changed or moved beyond taxation or assignment of military duties. In today’s world, no meaningful socioeconomic planning is feasible without adequate records of the population. In each societal type, be it primitive or modern, people plan for the population, and they need population to plan. Th us, planning becomes a central issue in all known societies, no matter their type and stage of development, while demographic data form the bases of such planning.
Th e relationship between population, planning and development (measured in terms of economic wellbeing of the populace) has a long history which has been documented in most demographic studies. Th is also continues to be the focus of many International Conferences on population. For example, World Population Conference, Bucharest (1974), Mexico (1984) International Conference on Population and Development ICPD, Cairo (1994) ICPD New York (1999) etc. Th e common denominator in all of these conferences was the submission that there is an important relationship between population and what we call sustainable development. Every human activity is closely related with population patterns as well as the level and capacity of national resources.
To speed up the pace of sustainable development, poverty alleviation and improved quality of life of the people, population has to be fully integrated into economic development strategies. Planning for development cannot be possible without adequate records of some population variables and trends, and their distribution across the human communities we want to develop. But the facts about this population do not come from the blues, instead they are generated through a timely, reliable and comprehensive census exercise. Census is the total process of counting, collating, compiling and publishing of the population of a people and its characteristics within a defi ned territory at a given period of time. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, made express provisions for the conduct of census. Th e powers to conduct the census, civil registrations and demographic surveys are equally vested on the National Population Commission (NPC) by the same constitution. While civil registration and surveys are carried out on a continuous or regular basis, the population and housing census comes up at least once every ten years as recommended by the United Nations and also as provided for, in the same constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Th erefore, this makes it a long term plan of action. Consequently, it serves as the largest single data capturing exercise carried out in a country, hence, it is the foundation for all the statistical and database usages and references. Unfortunately, in Nigeria today, most of our data references whether in academic or other commercial data uses are anchored on a census conducted in 2006, which is more than 10 years ago. It goes on to suggest that most of the data being used in our Ministries, Departments, Agencies and other institutions are obsolete, outdated and incoherent with current realities, hence, the resort to population projections and estimations for serious national economic and social programmes. Censuses are the primary sources of statistical data on the population and housing characteristics and the facilities that have bearing on the social aspects of the populace. Th e fundamental purpose of a census is also to provide facts essential to governments for planning and administration. Th e characteristics of the population drive the decision-making that facilitates the formulation of socio-economic policies that will enhance the welfare of the population. Additionally, it provides important data for the analysis and appraisal of changing population trends, migration, settlements, urbanization and their attendant socio-economic implications. Similarly, the distribution of the population according to such variables as educational attainment, income status, occupation/ employment status, labour migration and distribution, ethnic and religious affi liation etc. has equally been proven to have serious implications for the well-being of the people. Th ese variables also provide the basis of questions of scientific interest that are of importance both to pure research and for solving practical problems of industrial and commercial growth. The findings or information from census records are also critical in the decision making process of the private sector. Th is is because the population size and characteristics infl uence the location of businesses and services that satisfy the needs of the population. However, apparently piqued and disturbed by the utter negligence of the importance of census and other demographic data in national policy formulation and execution, Amina Mohammed, during her ministerial screening in October 2015 said, “Th e major challenge that confronted the nation in not meeting with the Millennium Development Goals was the dearth or near absence of baseline statistics for planning whether in the medium or long term”. Duru writes from UNN
