Politics

Census: Prioritise Conversations on the Urgency of 2023 National Census, GCWI Tell Stakeholders

Published

2 months ago

January 13, 2025

The Global Census Watch International (GCWI) in collaboration with Joint Civil Society Task Force on Population and Migration in Africa (CSTPMA) has urged stakeholders to prioritise conversations that will fast track the conduct of a national census in Nigeria , noting that the country is indeed overdue for a national census exercise based on our own laws and international conventions.

It should be recalled that, in 2023, the Federal Government had made appreciable efforts in preparation for the conduct of the National Population and Housing Census. The exercise, however, didn’t hold as planned at the time for reasons believed to be associated with the coincidence of the 2023 general election and it’s timing. ” Our hopes that the next administration will conduct the exercise has remained high hence this call”

Almost two years into the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the census exercise has not been conducted and there has been little or no conversations around the subject matter despite the fact that preparations for exercise was 90% completed by the National Population Commission for the exercise.

In a press release signed by
Richard Oduma and Ibrahim Jalo for GCWI and CSTPMA respectively, a copy of which was sighted by our correspondent, the groups maintained that the lack of interest by stakeholders to have conversations around the postponed 2023 National Population and Housing Census is no longer justified as Nigeria is in dire need of accurate and reliable data for real time development planning.

“It is no longer appropriate that Nigeria as the supposed giant of Africa has not conducted a census for the past 20 years”. The last census exercise took place in 2006 , it should concern every stakeholder and patriot that Nigeria does not have accurate data even on basic indicators like unemployment, poverty and access to healthcare”

The coalition acknowledged the passion of president Tinubu administration in reforming the country and believes that a national Census exercise was the easiest way to get the needed statistics for the policies of the president to be implemented based on facts and reality.

“The current administration must therefore, pay apt attention to the major driver of sustainable development among which is the national census in line with the renewed hope Agenda of Mr. President

“Stakeholders however, seem to prioritize conversations on short term policies such as fuel subsidy removal and most recently, tax reforms. We expect the stakeholders to expend the same energy in bringing the national census to fruition.

“With the high rate of poverty, unemployment, inflation and lack of access to healthcare, potable water and a host of other essentials, the need for a census cannot be overemphasized. Delaying this exercise further will hurt not just the economy but will also hinder the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the diaspora. The earlier we conduct a national census, the better for Nigerians and our international partners as well as investors”, the release stated.

The groups commended the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC) Alhaji Isa Kwara and his team for the technological innovations embedded in the preparation for the exercise, including “the digital delineation of enumeration areas, design and development of critical ICT infrastructure, training of over one million field ad-hoc staff as well as the procurement of hardware needed for the exercise”, adding that, “these laudable achievements should be utilized to the benefit of the country.

The release ended by calling on all stakeholders including members of the National Assembly, The Nigerian Governors Forum, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, the Nigerian Labour Congress, Christian Association of Nigeria, Afenifere, Ohaneaze Ndi’Igbo, Northern Elders Forum and a host of others “to see Nigeria’s development beyond elections, resource control and short term goals as its currently the practice and focus on more critical issues like the census.

“We urge you in your various capacities and in the spirit of patriotism, to give the same priority to the census exercise which has enormous benefits to our economy and national life the same way election and revenue and resource allocation matters are prioritised. The task of making Nigeria a better place is a collective responsibility and we must act accordingly”.

Politics

Lagos Assembly Crisis: ‘No plan to defect to Labour Party’ — Lawmakers

Published

3 days ago

March 11, 2025

Online Editor

Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have denied allegations of defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Labour Party.

In a statement signed by Mr. Stephen Ogundipe, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, the Assembly members refuted rumors circulating online, claiming that 25 members were planning to leave APC for an unnamed political party. A similar claim surfaced recently, suggesting that 27 members were considering joining the Labour Party due to leadership disputes within the Assembly.

Ogundipe stated that these claims had been unequivocally refuted, with members expressing their unwavering commitment to APC and their confidence in resolving internal issues through established party mechanisms.

“To avoid any confusion, no APC member of the Lagos State House of Assembly is considering defection. As true progressives, we acknowledge that challenges may arise, but we remain committed to addressing them through democratic and lawful processes,” he said.

He added that the party leadership is fully engaged, and any outstanding issues would be resolved amicably. Ogundipe urged the public to disregard the baseless reports designed to mislead and create unnecessary tension.

“We reaffirm our loyalty to the leader of our party and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Ogundipe concluded, emphasizing that the Lagos State House of Assembly would continue focusing on its legislative duties, enacting laws that promote the development of Lagos State.

Finally, he advised those spreading falsehoods to desist, reaffirming the Assembly’s dedication to its legislative mandate.

Politics

Atiku Abubakar Denies Plans to Leave PDP for New Political Party

Published

6 days ago

March 8, 2025

Online Editor

The media office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed reports suggesting that he is preparing to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for another political platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement released in Abuja on Saturday, Atiku’s camp described the rumors as baseless and misleading.

“We have observed that some news platforms are peddling unverified information that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party,” the statement read.

The former vice president’s media team clarified that Atiku remains committed to the PDP and is actively working on forming a broad coalition to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

“Atiku is advocating a robust coalition that would accommodate all opposition parties – the PDP inclusive,” the statement added. “It is fallacious and unfounded to allege that the Waziri is jumping the PDP ship.”

The statement further emphasized that Atiku’s focus remains on uniting opposition forces to “rescue Nigeria from the grip of the APC.”

Atiku, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has been vocal about the need for a strong opposition alliance to counter what he describes as the failures of the current administration.

The media office urged Nigerians to disregard speculations about Atiku’s defection, reaffirming that he remains a committed member of the PDP.

Politics

Anambra guber: Concerns over PDP aspirants’ inability to pick forms

Published

1 week ago

March 7, 2025

Online Editor

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has officially adopted the indirect primary method for selecting its candidate for the November 8, 2025, Anambra governorship election. This decision was announced by the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Bashiru, after a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

Bashiru stated that the decision aligns with the position of the Anambra State chapter of the APC. He also confirmed that the Abdullahi Ganduje-led NWC will meet with aspirants and stakeholders next Tuesday to finalize the modalities for the primary. Dismissing speculations that the party had already endorsed a preferred candidate, Bashiru emphasized that all seven aspirants remain in contention.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing concerns over its inability to attract aspirants for the Anambra governorship race. With the deadline for the sale of nomination forms fast approaching, no candidate has yet purchased the party’s N40 million expression of interest and nomination forms.

The PDP had recently expressed confidence in reclaiming Anambra, following a peaceful zonal congress in Enugu, where party leaders unanimously re-elected the Ali Odefa-led executive. However, reports indicate that high costs and internal crises within the party are discouraging aspirants.

With uncertainty surrounding the PDP, aspirants are now turning to alternative platforms such as the APC, Labour Party (LP), and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for their governorship ambitions.

As the election race intensifies, political observers will be watching to see how the PDP resolves its internal challenges and whether the APC’s chosen primary process will unify or divide its ranks.