Global business leader Mr. Tony .O. Elumelu, CFR has called for the effective use of technology, to deliver a credible 2023 Nigerian Population and Housing Census.

He made this point while giving his remarks at the high-level stakeholders’ engagement forum with the Federal Government and the National Population Commission, ahead of the March 29th to April 2nd, 2023, census.

According to him leveraging technology, will help to reduce human errors and present a transparent and credible exercise.

He said, “The upcoming census is a significant milestone in Nigeria's development, as it provides an opportunity to collect accurate and reliable data on the country's population and housing, which will serve as a vital tool for policymakers, private sector actors, and civil society organizations.” 

In terms of the census, he highlighted that the process must be credible, transparent, verifiable, accessible and has universal coverage. 

The Chairman of Heirs Holdings Plc with significant investments in financial services, hospitality, oil & gas, power and entrepreneurship through United Bank of Africa, UBA, Transcorp Plc and the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Foundation; believed the census will affect how resources are allocated in Nigeria.

He decried the fact that the Nigerian population estimates, and demographic profile are unclear and projections debatable.  

Elumelu added “If we do not know our population, we cannot properly plot our developmental path, our economic growth, our society’s goals.”

He acknowledged that the Federal Government has a herculean task to deliver the census, within a very tight time frame allocated for the exercise. 

The business leader assured that the private sector and African development organizations, are ready to complement the efforts of government in achieving a credible census. 

Download Full Remarks