The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, has rejected the recently constituted National Census Committee inaugurated by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The rejection comes after the presidency, through a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, announced the formation of a high-level committee to oversee the upcoming national population and housing census.
Nigeria’s last census was conducted in 2006, recording a population of 140,431,790 people — 71,345,488 males and 69,086,302 females. The upcoming exercise is seen as crucial for national planning and development.
The newly inaugurated committee is chaired by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu. Other members include the Minister of Information, Muhammed Idris; Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa Kwarra, who will serve as the committee’s secretary; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC); the Principal Private Secretary to the President; and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations (Office of the Chief of Staff).
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, accused the federal government of bias, alleging that the composition of the committee is heavily skewed in favour of the South-West.
“Census is a very sensitive national exercise, and every step leading to it must reflect fairness and inclusivity,” Okwu said. “We had hoped the presidency would address the imbalance, but nearly two weeks later, nothing has changed.”
He described the committee as “lopsided” and said it fails to reflect the federal character principle enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.
“There is absolutely nothing national about this committee. It is dominated by individuals from a particular region, and this is deeply troubling,” Okwu stated. “Just like several appointments made so far by this administration, it sidelines the South-East and other regions.”
He called on President Tinubu to either disband the committee or reconstitute it to include representatives from all geopolitical zones.
“Census should not be politicized or manipulated like other actions of this government. We will not accept any attempt to allocate fictitious figures to the South-East,” he warned.
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