Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Mr. Olumide Akpata, has been relieved of his membership in the National Judicial Council (NJC), authoritative sources have confirmed.

The decision was communicated via a letter to the incumbent NBA President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau SAN, signed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and NJC Chairman, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola. He cited Mr. Akpata’s recent involvement in partisan politics as reason for the termination.

Sources close to Mr. Akpata indicate he was taken aback by the decision and believes it is beyond the powers of the Chief Justice of Nigeria to unilaterally remove a member of the NJC on grounds of political involvement.

His camp argues that this prerogative lies with the individual member. They cited the example of former NJC member and Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, who voluntarily resigned his role in 2015 to pursue his political ambitions.

While said to be deeply troubled by the turn of events, Mr. Akpata is reluctant to escalate the matter out of immense respect for the Chief Justice. However, should an amicable resolution not be reached internally, legal redress may be sought in the courts.

The move comes on the heels of Mr. Akpata’s open aspiration to contest the upcoming Edo State gubernatorial elections. During his tenure as NBA President he had past run-ins with the Body of Benchers over governance issues. He is also seen as belonging to the reformist faction of the NJC.

[src: TheNigeriaLawyer / CITY LAWYER]

The Nigerian Army has said it will conduct the screening and verification of children of deceased personnel for the award of scholarship.

A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Department of Army Administration said the screening would be held at the Army Headquarters Command Officers’ Mess 1 at Asokoro in Abuja.

The scholarship is one of the welfare schemes of the Nigerian Army aimed at guaranteeing primary, secondary and tertiary education of the children of personnel who died in active service.

The Nigerian Army urged new applicants and beneficiaries upgrading their educational level, as well as those absent from the 2022/2023 exercise to participate.

It said successful candidates would get the appropriate sponsorship funds for their respective educational level.

“The documents required for the exercises are: handwritten application for sponsorship containing the names of the children; a letter of admission of the beneficiary, and the last school report card/results of the beneficiary.

“Others are: a letter of confirmation from the school, the university or polytechnic where the child/beneficiary is a pupil or a student; a birth certificate of the beneficiary and the death certificate of the deceased personnel.

“Also required are: Part 2 Orders publication of death; Condolence Letter; Notification of Casualty Signal; Nigerian Army Application for sponsorship form duly completed by the last unit and formation headquarters of the deceased personnel.

“Four recent passport photographs of the beneficiaries; Passport photograph of the deceased personnel and bank account number and sort code and telephone number of the beneficiary’s surviving parent or administrator.”

The Nigerian Army added that those responsible for the screening could be reached through 08169355766, for any enquiry.

The Federal Government has clarified that the new conditions introduced as prerequisites for obtaining or renewing international passports were instituted to curb the acquisition of Nigerian passports by non-citizens.

The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who stated this in Abuja while responding to questions from the media, emphasised that the passport is a security document exclusive to Nigerian citizens.

The new conditions, including the provision of a citizenship certificate, a date of birth certificate, and the National Identification Number (NIN), have become critical in verifying an applicant’s true citizenship.

He explained the rationale behind the Federal Government’s introduction of new prerequisites for obtaining or renewing international passports, noting that the new conditions would prevent non-Nigerians from acquiring the passport, disclosing that foreigners have exploited the inefficiencies of the previous system.

The Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Minister, Babatunde Alao, said in a statement on Wednesday that Tunji-Ojo acknowledged challenges being faced by new passport applicants, assuring the public of an enhanced process in the coming weeks.

Speaking further on the motive behind the introduction of the new processes, Tunji-Ojo said the reform was aimed at simplifying the passport acquisition process for Nigerians by facilitating speedy online application, production, and passport collection.

“We have to introduce this new system in order to stop those non-Nigerians carrying Nigerian passports. Contrary to reports, the new process is working very effectively, and the hiccups recorded are only 4 per cent, which is a significant improvement for a system that is newly introduced, and I assure you that in the next one or two weeks we will have a near-perfect system.

“We have to improve our process of obtaining passports because a passport is a security document. This new system has improved accessibility, transparency, and efficiency,” the minister stated.

Looking ahead, the Minister outlined plans for contactless biometrics in passport renewal, affirming the government’s commitment to building a better future for Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.

Speaking on the observable change in cost for the 5-year passport, the Minister, however, noted that the new cost was agreed upon, taking a cue from the cost of the 10-year passport.

“We are building a future for Nigerians where things should be done in a better way. We changed the price of the five-year passport because the 10-year passport is N70,000; so, the one for five years should be half of that amount, which is N35,000. We are committed to making things better in our country,” the minister said.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja police command has confirmed the arrest of another suspected kidnapper amid the growing insecurity in the nation’s capital city.

Speaking during a press conference yesterday, the FCT commissioner of police, Haruna Garba, disclosed how, on Sunday, the Iddo division received a distress call regarding armed men in a black Toyota Corolla vehicle who had shot the tires of a moving Prado jeep.

According to him, the jeep driver, Suleiman Sabo, was compelled to stop the vehicle while on his way home in the Sabon Lugbe area.

Sabo was then forcibly taken by the kidnappers, leaving his wife and car behind.

Garba said the police swung into action and successfully tracked down and apprehended the suspect.

“The effort paid off on January 21 when the DPO received information that something abnormal is happening in a particular house at Sauka village. The DPO moved in and cordoned the house; behold, the kidnapped victim was found with the suspect, armed with Mark IV rifle and 10 rounds of live ammunition,” Garba noted.

He added: “He was promptly arrested, and the arm recovered from him. The victim was rescued but with gunshot injuries.”

According to him, the victim has been admitted to a hospital and is currently undergoing treatment.

The police commissioner further mentioned that ever since the establishment of the police Special Intervention Squad (SIS), there have been no incidents of kidnapping reported in the Bwari region of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Garba stated that the police have successfully blocked all known routes used by bandits, particularly in the Bwari area council. Additionally, numerous individuals suspected of being involved in kidnapping and armed robbery have been apprehended, and their victims have been rescued.

Furthermore, Garba highlighted that the police have recovered various firearms and live ammunition, as well as vehicles that were previously stolen from victims.

The report was treated like a footnote in the main press, but social media and online news platforms gave it a wider play. It’s the story of the launch of a nomadic vigilante service by Miyetti Allah, a group of herders turned political pressure group, comprising mostly Fulani.

The national president, Bello Bodejo, said in Lafia, Nasarawa State, where the launch took place, that the vigilante service, which had already recruited 1,144 Fulani youths, would assist security agencies in the state to combat criminal activities.

Four years ago, the Nnamdi Kanu-led separatist group, IPOB, made similar doubtful claims when the group set up the Eastern Security Network (ESN), for the South-east states. But federal security agencies crushed it. Yet, in a move that seemed to suggest that one vigilante group is greater than the other, the Nasarawa State Police Commissioner was a special guest at the Miyetti Allah vigilante service launch last week.

There was a report on Wednesday that Bodejo had been arrested by the DSS, but the DSS has since denied. While no one is sure of the whereabouts of Bodejo, he appears to have launched a vigilante service that, regardless of the pretence of confusion surrounding it, bears the mark of official approval.

It would be a mistake, however, to think that this once mostly feared and despised association of herdsmen and the police are in bed after only one evening of flirting. Of course, Miyetti Allah may have been motivated more by group self-interest, relevance and survival. But the dalliance with the police, the indifference of the main press, and the muted public response, are not an accident.

Epidemic of desperation

They are a reflection of the despair and desperation over the growing insecurity in the country, especially its latest franchise in form of widespread kidnappings, even in places once thought to be safe havens.

As a result of multiple internal security challenges from banditry and insurgencies in the North-east, North-west and North-central, the unrest and violence by separatist groups in the South-east, not to mention pipeline vandalism in the South-south, the police have almost been reduced to Boys Scouts, while the military is doing more for less.

A recent report by The Economist, citing ACLED, a global monitor of conflict, said more than 3,600 people were kidnapped in 2023, with the sharpest rise in May – the most ever – while almost about 9,000 Nigerians were killed in conflict last year.

In a horror story that spooked memories of the Chibok girls, the family of Mansoor Al-Kadriyar was attacked in their home in Bwari, Abuja on January 2, and six of the girls were abducted. The eldest was killed and the other five released after 19 days in captivity and N55million reportedly paid in ransom.

It’s in light of this widespread misery and what appears to be a general state of helplessness that Miyetti Allah, a symbol of Fulani hegemony, launched its nomadic vigilante service in a region fraught with a variety of deadly clashes, the latest of which has been the murderous rampage of ethnic violence in Plateau State that has, so far, claimed nearly 200 lives in less than two months.  

Ostrich game

Thanks to elite hypocrisy, after years of playing the ostrich, we are back where we started: a realisation that the current policing model is not working. With broken noses, bleeding hearts, and a variety of poor imitations, we’re dragging ourselves back to the very thing that we have always tried to run away from: state police. State police is not a silver bullet, of course. But in the last 25 years, we have seen improvisations that have barely dented the monster.

The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), for example, founded by Fredrick Faseun and Gani Adams was a citizen vigilante-led attempt to curb insecurity in the South-west. It’s still active in many parts of the region. But former President Olusegun Obasanjo with those close to him who feared it was a South-west agenda towards state police, kept OPC in check, often deploying an iron fist.

In a watered-down attempt to devolve more policing powers from the centre, we’ve seen attempts by the Federal Government at so-called community policing end up with greater Federal control, with the notorious pay-as-you-go police protection being enjoyed by the rich, especially politicians, who can afford them. It was only when the farmer-herder clashes threatened to ruin some states in the South-west that governors in the region, led by late Rotimi Akeredolu, rallied to form Amotekun.

The South-east followed this lead with Ebubeagu, and a number of states in the North-west, especially, also set up their own vigilante services. In August 2022, then Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, launched the Community Volunteer Guard.

In spite of states drifting towards it, in spite of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) including state police in its manifesto, and in spite of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu being one of the most notable champions of it, the idea is still something of anathema.

Constitutional Conference report

Ten years ago, state police was one of the most hotly debated issues at the Goodluck Jonathan-brokered National Conference, a conference whose report, unlike those of a number in the past, has proved quite durable.

A summary of the 2014 conference report presented at the Second Chris Ogunbanjo Lecture Series in 2017 by a member of the conference and Chairman Emeritus of PUNCH, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, said, “Any state that requires it, can establish a State Police for that state, which should operate in accordance with the provisions of the law setting it up, to be passed by the State House of Assembly.

“Its powers or functions will be determined by such legislation and should not be in conflict with the duties and powers of the Federal Police.”

The conference also made suggestions about changes in nomenclature and structure of the police and also in the relevant sections of the constitution. Of course, nothing significant has been done since, which is not a surprise. Former President Muhammadu Buhari whose lot it was to get it off the ground, told me during an interview nearly two years after he took office that he had not read the report and was not interested.

If Buhari preferred treading the beaten path, Tinubu cannot pretend that we can continue the same way, or that he is unfamiliar with the merits of state police.

There’s a familiar trope against it, and I have heard it over and over again: that state police in the hands of the states would be used by governors against their opponents. That’s a genuine concern, especially in a country where governors behave as if the states were their fiefdoms. But isn’t it warped to argue that it’s OK for the Federal Government to use the Federal police against its own opponents in the centre and in the states while we’re all held hostage by the fear that the states would abuse it?

Bull by the horns

In the case of Miyetti Allah’s nomadic service, which potentially is worse for regulation than Amotekun which is at least under the control of the states, whose weapon would the vigilante be? The Federal Government’s, the states’ or the battering ram of an unrepentant ethnic militia called Miyetti Allah?

Ethnic militias are festering because the elite, especially members of the National Assembly, that are supposed to take the bull by the horns have refused to do what they should do to emplace structure and regulation by amending the constitution to allow the states play a more active role in policing.

Tinubu cannot afford to allow the drift to continue. He cannot manage the country’s security the same way that Buhari did for eight years and expect a different result.

 Azu Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP. 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has generated a substantial sum of N265 million from the sale of Nomination and Expression of Interest forms to 11 aspirants vying for the Edo State governorship ticket.

The party set the price for the Nomination Form at N30 million, while the Expression of Interest Form was pegged at N5 million, with exemptions made for female aspirants and those with disabilities, who were granted the Expression of Interest Form free of charge.

The deadline for the sale of these forms is today (Thursday), as per the schedule released by the party.

The PDP commenced the sale of forms on January 17, 2024, and January 27 was marked as the cut-off date for form submission by aspirants.

Among the 11 aspirants who have so far purchased the forms from the PDP national headquarters at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, are two women who were only required to pay for the N30 million Nomination form.

Notable figures in the race include Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shuaibu; former Chairman of Sterling Bank, Asue Ighodalo; and Blessing Igbinedion, daughter of the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion. Other aspirants are Anselm Usiose Ojezua, Felix Akhabue, Martin Uhomoibhi, Umoru Hadizat, and Omoregie Ihama.

According to Punch, PDP has opted for the indirect primary method to select its candidate for the Edo State governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024.

This method involves delegates who will cast their votes to decide the party’s flagbearer.

A high-ranking member of the PDP National Working Committee, who spoke to the platform anonymously, said “The PDP will not zone its ticket in Edo State. The NWC has also approved delegates and three ad hoc, indirect primary.

“It means members will elect delegates at ward and local government levels. These delegates will then move to Benin, the state capital, on February 22 to elect our party’s candidate.”

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, assured aspirants of a level playing field, stating, “What the aspirants and Edo State stakeholders should expect from our party is a free, fair, credible, and acceptable primary that the PDP is known for.”

Ologunagba in an interview with The PUNCH stated, “Edo State is a PDP state, and we will maintain it. So, we will not disappoint our members; the party leadership will follow due process and we are very sure that people will support our party in Edo State. We are ready.”

On the question of reducing the number of aspirants, he said, “What we do is always to have a conversation. The issue of pruning the number of aspirants will not come up because these are processes that will come up among members, and I am sure that is going on. So, we are prepared for the primaries, and the more, the merrier. It will be a fair process, and there will be no rancour.”

The governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, has reiterated that his ambition is not backed by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Recall that on January 17, the former Chairman of Sterling Bank officially declared his intention to contest in the Edo State Governorship Election.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News on Wednesday, Ighodalo said he is independent and not backed by the governor.

The PDP chieftain asserted that Obaseki could not compel him to do it as his third-term project because the governor had not informed him of any such plan.

He said: “Yes, I have indeed known Governor Godwin Obaseki for a long time, we are friends I met him at university. He’s an investment banker and I’m a lawyer, we have worked on the same sides or opposite sides of big corporate transactions.

“However, I’m not sure that if Gov. Obaseki is looking for a third term he will come to me. I’m fully independent, and I don’t see any way he can dangle me at the end of a rope. I’m loyal to the people of Edo State.”

Naija News reports that Ighodalo hails from Ewohimi in Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo Central District, an area that Governor Obaseki wants power to shift to.

• For 30 alterations, NASS expends N24.8b in 24 years
• Lawmakers set for fresh rejig, as state police, VAT, electoral reforms top agenda

The National Assembly is set for a fresh amendment to the constitution – an exercise that has routinely cost the country an average of N1 billion yearly.

The Guardian findings showed that the review has been consistent in the last 24 years, with at least 30 alterations made to the 1999 Constitution and at the cumulative cost of N24.85 billion.

And in line with the tradition, both the Senate and House of Representatives will next week resume further amendments to the Constitution, with emphasis on State police, Value Added Tax (VAT), and electoral reforms.

The urgency of another amendment is not unconnected with the issue of VAT collection that has been generating a legal battle between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and some state governments.

Specifically, Rivers and Lagos state governments had enacted laws and called for decentralisation of collection, while some states pushed for centralised pool. The case is still pending at the Supreme Court.

The two chambers would inaugurate separate committees to be led by deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau and the deputy speaker, Benjamin Kalu, when they resume legislative activities from their three weeks Christmas and end of the year recess.

Although efforts to commence amendment to the 1999 Constitution began in the 4th National Assembly (1999 to 2003), actual exercise began in the 5th National Assembly (2003 to 2007) led by the then deputy president of the Senate, late Ibrahim Mantu. It was marred by reports of a third term agenda by the then administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

To date, every tenure of the National Assembly has initiated a fresh constitution amendment project for which some N4 billion is approved, to be appropriated and released based on N1 billion per year. This is in addition to some extra funds released to the committee for unforeseen expenditure.

Concerned lawyers, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and statesmen have argued that the perennial exercise of alterations to the constitution had amounted to mere waste of resources since the National Assembly had failed to achieve comprehensive review.

Issues such as rejig of the nation’s security architecture in the form of creation of state police, restructuring the Nigerian State and resource control agitations, are among several demands, which the 24-year-old constitution amendment exercise has not been able to resolve to the satisfaction of all.

Immediate past deputy president of the Senate, Victor Ovie Omo-Agege, who was also the chairman of the Senate’s committee on constitution review at the last Assembly, had at the peak of his committee’s frustration blamed the failure on governors whom, he claimed, had refused to allow the state Houses of Assembly to endorse the 44 bills sent to them.

The failure was later confirmed by the then Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, when they pleaded with the then Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State to persuade his colleagues to allow Houses of Assembly endorse the proposed alterations.

But the state Houses of Assembly rejected allegations of frustrating the Constitution review and accused the leadership of the National Assembly of resorting to blackmail, after failing to carry them along on key issues for amendments.

Speaking through the Conference of State Assembly Speakers, the Houses said the National Assembly rejected the state police option, which they canvassed.

To successfully alter any section of the Constitution, at least 24 of the 36 Houses of Assembly must approve the bill to that effect with two-thirds majority.

The new constitution review committees, according to findings, will address previous failures of the National Assembly by revisiting such issues as independent candidate to contest for an elective office; creation of state police; federal structure and power devolution; fiscal federalism and revenue allocation; judicial and electoral reforms; immunity for presiding officers of National and State Assemblies; full local government fiscal autonomy; state creation agitations, among others.

The new constitution review committees will also face the challenge of revisiting the age-long quests to separate the office of the Attorney General of the federation/state from the office of minister/commissioner for justice; change in procedure for the enactment of an entirely new constitution, which includes referendum; inclusion of basic education and primary healthcare in fundamental and justiciable human rights.

Other issues requiring attention are the inclusion of electoral offences as a ground to disqualify candidates from future elections; mandatory presentation of the yearly state of the nation address to a joint session of the National Assembly by the president; and removal of presidential assent to constitution amendment bills.

Lamenting the failure to achieve meaningful amendments to the constitution, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has said that corruption and related problems are getting worse because of failure to remove and alter impediments in the Constitution against anti-corruption fight.

HEDA’s Executive Secretary, Sulaimon Arigbabu, had said that “Corruption is Nigeria’s issue and the root of the country’s problem. We are in dire need of a constitutional review. A lot of the things happening are because there are lacunas in the Constitution.

“All agencies are hindered by one thing or the other in that constitution. There are not enough provisions in the constitution to, at least, help to reduce corruption. It’s so unfortunate that those who have been saddled with the power to help make this happen are using such power to aid corruption rather than abate it.”

Arigbabu further lamented: “Some of the people whose corrupt cases were reported in the past have found their way into high offices in the country. Some have become governors, some have been appointed in high places, and these often happen because Nigerians tend to forget.”

Also reacting, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) believes that the disagreement between the National Assembly and State Assemblies on some areas of the amendments arose from failure of the National Assembly to display responsive leadership.

It tasked Nigerians to demand that the National Assembly deliver on its assignment and give Nigeria an altered constitution for which billions of taxpayer’s money has been sunk.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, explained that the discord showed the lack of seamless dialogue and partnership between the National Assembly and the State Assemblies.

“If the leadership of the National Assembly has been very effective and efficient over the last four years, it would have been so easy for both sets of legislators to have a meeting point and hammer out their differences.”

However, past constitution amendment exercises succeeded in some issues, which included the financial autonomy of the National Assembly, which gave it the power to draw its funds directly from the federation account, otherwise known as the first-line charge.

Sections 145 and 190 were amended successfully to compel the president/governor to transmit a letter to the National Assembly/State Assembly to enable their deputies to act whenever they proceed on vacation or are unable to discharge their functions.

Another amendment was the one that enables a person sworn in as president or governor to complete the term of an elected president or governor but disqualifies the same person from election to the same office for more than one more term.

Sections 135 and 180 of the constitution were amended to straighten the remaining term of office of a president/governor who won a rerun election to include the period already spent in office.

Amendments to sections 81, 84, and 160 of the constitution were also made to make the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) financially and administratively independent.

Section 156 of the constitution was amended to remove membership of a political party as a qualification for appointment into INEC, thereby insulating members from partisan politics.

Other successful amendments were effected to section 285 (5) to (8) to set time limits for the filing, hearing and disposal of election petitions to quicken justice, and sections 76, 116, 132, and 178 to provide for a wider timeframe for the conduct of elections.

There were also alterations to section 285 and the Sixth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution to reduce the composition of tribunals to a chairman and two members and the quorum to just a chairman and a member were also successfully done.

Other amendments included those on sections 66(h), 137(i), and 182(i) to delete the disqualification of persons indicted by an administrative panel from standing for election.

The stipulation of timeframes for filing, adjudication and disposal of pre-election lawsuits in order to quicken justice was also amended, and the reduction of age qualification for political offices (Not Too Young to Run Bill).

Also, amendments to sections 134, 179 and 225 of the constitution were made to extend from seven to 21 days the period within which INEC shall conduct a run-off election between the two leading presidential/gubernatorial candidates.

Sections 6, 84, 240, 243, 287, 289, 292, 294, 295, 216, 318, the Third Schedule and Seventh Schedule to the constitution were amended and a new section 254 inserted to make the National Industrial Court a court of superior record and equal in status to the Federal High Court.

Very recently, before the end of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, other constitution alterations were effected including state assembly, judiciary independence amendments.

Other alterations approved by the president are the removal of the railway, prison and electricity from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.

Others are the alteration to regulate the first session and inauguration of members-elect of the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for related matters; the alteration to delete the reference to the provisions of the Criminal Code, Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Act, Criminal Procedure Code or Evidence Act; and for related matters.

Also approved is the amendment to exclude the period of intervening events in the computation of time for determining pre-election petitions, election petitions and appeals; and for related matters; alteration to provide for the post-call qualification of the Secretary of the National Judicial Council; and for related matters.

The amendment to delete the item “prisons” in the Exclusive Legislative List and redesignate it as “Correctional Services” in the Concurrent Legislative List; and for related matters was also achieved. Another amendment to move the item “railways” from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List; and for related matters was successful too.

The constitution was also amended to allow states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid; and for related matters.

Also approved is the alteration to require the President and Governors to submit the names of persons nominated as Ministers or Commissioners within sixty days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly; and for related matters.

Another alteration was done to require the government to direct its policy towards ensuring the right to food and food security in Nigeria; and for related matters.

[Leadership]

Nigerians have reiterated the importance of an accurate census in the country, saying the correct figures will help the country in planning for the citizens.

They noted that Nigeria could rank third largest in the world by 2050, after China and India, according to a United Nations forecast made in 2022.

Census was last conducted in Nigeria in 2006 and it has become imperative after almost two decades. Under administration of president Mohammed Buhari almost 90% preparation were for the conduct of Census and Housing Population in 2023 but shortly, the new administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu put it on hold.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Aerga Godwin, a graduate of Mass Communication said that a reliable, credible, acceptable and successful census’’ will help government in planning purpose for development, especially in bolstering the social security programme that targets more vulnerable Nigerians.

He said, “The country’s inability to conduct a population census in the last 17 years has created an information vacuum as the data from the last census conducted in 2006 has been rendered out of date for planning purposes. It has therefore become imperative for the nation to conduct another national census to produce a new set of demographic and socio-economic data that will provide the basis for national planning and sustainable development.

“Population is a critical factor in a nation’s efforts toward achieving sustainable development. People are both the agents and beneficiaries of the development process. Knowledge of the national population in terms of size, distribution and socio-economic characteristics is required for planning purposes. This, therefore, makes the conduct of census an essential governance activity.

“With a projected population of 216,783,381, Nigeria is the sixth most populous country in the world and the most populous country on the African continent. Due to the rapidly growing nature of the population and large proportion of the youthful population, Nigeria is also projected to be the third most populous country in the World by the year 2050 after India and China.’’

Jemilu Mohammed, a resident of Kuje, Abuja said that the irregular and long interval of census taking in Nigeria has denied the nation the huge benefits of comprehensive baseline data for evidence-based decision-making.

[Leadership]