The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has again called for the scrapping of the National Population Commission (NPC), describing the commission as “a redundant and costly agency that duplicates the functions of existing agencies”.
In a statement, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, voiced the association’s strong concerns, stating that the NPC’s efforts in conducting population censuses have yielded minimal economic advantage to Nigerians.
He emphasised that the NPC’s recent efforts have reportedly already incurred an expense of N100 billion in taxpayers’ money, which could have been better utilized to address pressing social issues such as hunger and malnutrition.
Onwubiko further questioned the relevance of the NPC when the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and other data collection agencies are already gathering information on citizens through various registration processes, including those conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
HURIWA believes that a unified national identity management mechanism, incorporating data from hospitals where births and deaths are recorded, would be more efficient and cost-effective in determining the exact population of Nigeria.
“In contrast to Nigeria’s traditional house-to-house enumeration approach, advanced nations such as the United Kingdom and the United States utilize sophisticated data-driven methods to determine their population counts.
“These methods involve advanced statistical sampling, data integration, and comprehensive registration systems.
“Vital records of births, deaths, and other demographic information are effectively maintained by relevant government agencies, providing a reliable basis for planning and development”, unlike what the NPC generates, they stressed.
“The United States, for instance, conducts decennial censuses, which are limited in scope and do not involve continuous registration of births and deaths.
“Instead, it utilizes extensive data integration, including data from the Social Security Administration, to estimate the population accurately.
“This approach significantly reduces costs, while providing sufficient data for essential planning and representation purposes,” Onwubiko said.
“In the UK, population counting is conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which uses various data sources, including birth and death registrations, to estimate the population accurately.
“The ONS employs advanced statistical methods to ensure the reliability and accuracy of its population estimates,” he said.
