Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, 2027 Vice Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has called on the Nigerian Federal Government to carry out a “transparent and technology-driven” national population and housing census.
He said, it has been “two decades” since the country last conducted a national population and housing census, adding, Nigerians are just depending on “outdated population figures”.
Taking to X, the former Governor of Kano described the situation as “deeply concerning”, saying, with new population figures, the country will be able to make “critical decisions” that will be beneficial in areas such as, “education, healthcare and employment”.
Kwankwaso made the call on World Population Day 2026, on Saturday 11 July, 2026.
The former Minister of Defence said: “As Nigeria joins the global community to mark World Population Day 2026, it is deeply concerning that our nation has not conducted a national Population and Housing Census in two decades.
“The last exercise, held in 2006, has left us relying on outdated population figures for critical national decisions on education, healthcare, security, infrastructure, employment, and resource allocation.”
He said, “up-to-date population statistics are the bedrock of good governance”, adding, Nigeria cannot continue to work with the “200 million” figure, which is “frozen in time”.
Kwankwaso said: “This data vacuum undermines effective planning and equitable development. Accurate, up-to-date population statistics are the bedrock of good governance, national security, sustainable development, and inclusive growth.
“We cannot continue to shape the future of estimated over 200 million Nigerians using statistics frozen in time.”
The 2023 Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) called on the FG to “prioritise” and carry out a “credible” national population and housing census “without further delay”.
Kwankwaso said: “On this World Population Day, I strongly urge the Federal Government to prioritise and conduct a credible, transparent, and technology-driven national Population and Housing Census without further delay. The time for excuses is over. The time to act is now.”
World Population Day 2026
World Population Day is observed across the world on July 11 every year.
It seeks to raise awareness of issues that concern global population. The event was established in 1989 by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme.
Population issues include, importance of family planning, poverty, maternal health and more.
The theme for this year’s World Population Day is “Realizing the hopes and aspirations of young people – today and for the future.”
According to un.org:
It took hundreds of thousands of years for the world population to grow to 1 billion – then in just another 200 years or so, it grew sevenfold. In 2011, the global population reached the 7 billion mark, it stands at almost 7.9 billion in 2021, and it’s expected to grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100.
This dramatic growth has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age, and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanization and accelerating migration. These trends will have far-reaching implications for generations to come.
