Nigeria’s leading civic-tech whistleblower for fiscal transparency, BudgIT, has raised an alarm over the country’s 20-year hiatus from conducting a national census, warning that the federal government is effectively governing by guesswork, reports ITREALMS.
They recalled that Nigeria’s last census was conducted in 2006, meaning an entire generation of Nigerians aged 18 and below has never been captured in a proper headcount.
Pointing out that despite five general elections and multiple transitions of power, the country continues to rely on decade-old projections for resource allocation and infrastructure planning.
The Acting Country Director, BudgIT, Joseph Amenaghawon, emphasized that in the absence of reliable population data, public policy becomes guesswork, undermining efficiency, equity, and accountability in governance.
The civic-tech body expressed particular concern over the 2026 capital expenditure proposal, which allocates a mere N770 million for the National Population and Housing Census. BudgIT’s analysis reveals a stark disconnect between ambition and funding, noting that when split across 36 states and the FCT, the allocation amounts to roughly N20.8 million per state.
This follows a 2024 allocation of N693.3 million which yielded no measurable progress, leading the organization to question the realism and strategic intent of such a small figure for an exercise of this magnitude.
ITREALMS gathered that the Presidency had announced a committee in April 2025, chaired by the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, to lay the groundwork for the census, and despite a three-week deadline for an interim report, it was not ready.
BudgIT noted that several months have passed with no public timeline or policy direction and now with the 2026 budget currently under review at the National Assembly, the organisation is calling on the Senate and House of Representatives to re-evaluate funding to ensure a technology-driven exercise, execute the count within 2026 before election fever halts operations, and release the findings of the 2025 groundwork committee to the public immediately.
The statement concluded by asserting that the time to count Nigerians properly and credibly is now.
Remmy Nweke/DoP
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