General

Nigeria to Hold First Census Since 2006 March 29

Published

2 years ago

23/01/2023

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria will start its first national census in 17 years at the end of March as the National Population Commission (NPC) has fixed the national population and housing census for March 29 to April 2, 2023.

The NPC chairman, Nasir Kwarra, disclosed this while speaking with State House reporters after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

“By March 29 to April 2, our staff will be in the field enumerating people,” he said.

Nigeria’s estimated population is more than 200 million, and the United Nations expects that to double by 2050. That would make Nigeria the world’s third most populous country, overtaking the United States.

The census was initially targeted for 2021, but authorities postponed the process on the grounds of widespread insecurity, especially in the north, where an Islamist insurgency and kidnappings for ransom have been raging.

Mr Kwarra added that the technological tools to be deployed would be able to code buildings and landmass, detailing information such as location and landscapes, among others.

The NPC chairman, who said his commission would ensure a credible exercise, added that non-Nigerians would equally be counted so long as they were in the country at the time of the exercise.

He said the exercise would be different from the previous ones marred by controversies with high-end technology.

“From March 29 to April 2, our staff will be in the field enumerating people… This census is going to be different from past censuses. The theory and practice are essentially the same, but we are using high-end technology to conduct this census, and it is such that nobody can tamper with any figure. Nobody will be counted more than once.

“We are visiting households to do direct interface with the household, collect data, and in the past, if you are doing an operational manually, it is very cumbersome, but this is being aided by technology, and I believe it is going to be transparent and very fast and it is going to be verifiable because we are able to provide data up to the local government, up to ward level. So, it is something that you can always verify,” he said.

Mr Kwarra said the demarcation of enumerations areas had been completed.

He also said the portal had been opened by the commission to recruit ad-hoc staff for the conduct of the exercise, adding that people recruited will be deployed to work in their localities.

The NPC chairman, while speaking on the security situation in parts of the country, expressed hope that the exercise could be conducted smoothly in the areas affected.

Related Topics:2023 census census census 2023 Census March 29 census since 2006 first national census

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Adedapo Adesanya

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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The LOGIC Church Plans ‘Jesus + Nothing Worship’ for Good Friday

Published

13 hours ago

13/04/2025

Dipo Olowookere

Apostle Flourish Peters The Logic Church

By Dipo Olowookere

On Friday, April 18, 2025, all roads will lead to the headquarters of the Love of God in Christ (LOGIC) Church in the Lekki area of Lagos State for an uplifting evening dedicated to expressing the message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ in music.

The day, which is Good Friday, has been set aside to celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the cornerstone of Christian faith.

Christian faithful from across the global will gather for the hybrid programme tagged Jesus + Nothing Worship, a platform that provides worshippers an opportunity to connect with the essence of the Gospel in worship.

Soul-lifting singers expected to minister on that day include Neon Adejo, Greatman Takit, Victor Thompson, Timi Dakolo, Samuel Giveson (SMJ), Noble G, Steve Hills, and Lily Perez.

Others are Joxie, Anderson Qozan, Pastor Victor Paul, EmekaSongz, Flo, Dorcas Moore, Magpsalms, Mera Owili, Gerald Bishung, Phebe Lion, and the vibrant Evolution Children’s Choir.

The Lead Pastor and Apostolic Head of the LOGIC Church, Apostle Flourish Peters, while commenting ahead of the event, said, “As a Christocentric faith community, this event is a great way to celebrate the gift of Christ, who laid down his life for our redemption. Good Friday is a great time to have a worship celebration like this.”

“Nothing speaks to the culture of a people like the music they listen to. Jesus + Nothing Worship will contribute to shaping and mainstreaming a culture of christocentric worship, where the Gospel of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is platformed through worship,” he added.

General

SERAP Calls for Withdrawal of Nigeria’s Data Act Amendment

Published

14 hours ago

13/04/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called for the withdrawal of the amendment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 because it seeks to regulate the activities of bloggers operating within the territorial boundaries of Nigeria.

The organisation in its letter urged the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, to “immediately withdraw the repressive bill.”

Business Post reports that the titled A Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to Mandate the Establishment of Physical Offices within the Territorial Boundaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Social Media Platforms and for Related Matters among others intends to regulate bloggers, including by requiring all bloggers to register local offices and join recognised national association for bloggers.

Currently, the bill has passed its first and second reading in the Senate.

In the letter signed its deputy director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP asked Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas “to ensure that any amendment to the Nigeria Data Protection Act promotes and protects the rights of bloggers and other journalists and does not undermine the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.”

It demanded an end to “the imposition of unnecessary restrictions on the rights of Nigerians online and Internet-based content.”

In the letter dated April 12, 2025, the group said, “This bill is a blatant attempt to bring back and fast-track the obnoxious and widely rejected social media bill by the back-door.”

“If passed, the bill would also be used to ban major social media platforms—including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and independent bloggers if they ‘continuously fail to establish/register and maintain physical offices in Nigeria for a period of 30 days.

“Lawmakers should not become arbiters of truth in the public and political domain. Regulating the activities of bloggers and forcing them to associate would have a significant chilling effect on freedom of expression and lead to censorship or restraint.

“Should the National Assembly and its leadership fail to withdraw the bill to regulate the activities of bloggers, and should any such bill be assented to by President Bola Tinubu, SERAP would consider appropriate legal action to challenge the legality of any such law and ensure it is never implemented in the public interest,” the organisation warned.