Harmonize Demographic Data – Osinbajo To Nigeria Population Commission

SAN FRANCISCO, April 06, (THEWILL) – Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) has declared that harmonization of demographic data is very important for national development planning, including some of the Buhari Presidency's Social Investment plans.

Osinbajo made the declaration at a meeting on Wednesday with a delegation from the National Population Commission where he tasked the commission to harmonize the country's demographic data.

“We must be able to honestly determine how many we are as a people,” he said.

“Having a reliable harmonized data base will help social-economic planning including the Homegrown School Feeding Programme and the Conditional Cash Transfer, two of the several social investment plans of the Buhari administration.

“Technology has now made it possible to harmonize data.

“Having a single platform for data management in the country is very important for national planning and economic development.

“With technology we can actually bring down the cost of data-gathering. Because of technology, data gathering has also become simpler, more efficient and cheaper.”

Osinbajo also tasked the Commission on conducting a reliable, cost-effective and acceptable census bearing in mind the irregularities that have trailed some of the previous census exercises.

In his presentation earlier, the Chairman of the Commission, Eze Duruheoma, said the Commission is working with other agencies and stakeholders such as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to produce a single platform of data management for the country.

This, he said will reduce cost in the future, ensure authenticated identities as well as easy personal identification.

He noted that the national population register about to be put up by the National Population Commission would be the primary source of data as it will give reliable identification of the citizens from the “cradle to the grave.”

Story by David Oputah