FCT, Abuja – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proposed the use of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the conduct of the national housing and population census.
Tinubu reportedly made the proposal after rejecting a N942bn proposal by the National Population Commission (NPC) for the conduct of the census.
As reported by The Punch, sources said President Tinubu insisted on cost-cutting measures.
The sources said Tinubu suggested the deployment of corps members for the exercise.
Tinubu stated this during his meeting with top officials of the NPC led by its Chairman, Nasir Kwarra, on Monday, February 24, 2025, at the State House.
A government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said while Tinubu wanted the census to be conducted, he insisted that the cost must be reduced.
“The main issue from that meeting was that the money they were proposing was quite much. It is around N942bn. That is almost N1tn. And the President felt that it was too much. That is why he said there would be a committee to look at the issues altogether because that cost must come down.
“He wants to do it. He wants the census to happen. But the cost is too high. His goal is that they should do it for less.”
Another source disclosed that Tinubu suggested a massive deployment of NYSC members nationwide to cut personnel costs.
“He was even suggesting that they recruit youth corps members to make it cheaper,”
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Tinubu met with the NPC Chairman Kwarra and other top official over conduct of national census.
Tinubu said he would set up a committee on the census budget that would align the government’s present financial realities.
Legit.ng reports that the Federal Republic of Nigeria had its last census over 18 years ago in November 2006.
In a similar development, Legit.ng reported that NPC reacted to the report that the commission will conduct a population census in 2025.
The NPC acting director of public affairs, Erelu Oloruntoba, dismissed the report of any plan to conduct the next census in 2025.
FG postpones population census
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the federal government announced that the 2023 population census will no longer be held on March 29, 2023, as previously scheduled.
Lai Mohammed, the then minister of information and culture, said the exercise has now been shifted to May 2023.
The minister said the census was postponed due to the rescheduling of the gubernatorial election and state assembly elections to March 18.
