The Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra, (Nasarawa State) as the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC).
The upper chamber also confirmed 11 commissioners nominated for the Commission by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The commissioners-nominees confirmed by the Senate include: Ibrahim Mohammed (Bauchi State); Ajayi Ayodeji Sunday (Ekiti State); Hon. Joseph K. Shazin (FCT); Garba A.G. Zakar (Jigawa State); and Hon. Engr. Bala Banye (Katsina State).
Others are Gidado Razak Folorunso (Kwara State); Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin (Lagos State); Ali Silas Agara (Nasarawa State); Mohammed Chiso Abdullahi Dattijo (Sokoto State); Mai Aliyu Muhammad (Yobe State); and Muhammad Muttaka Rini (Zamfara State).
The confirmation of the nominees followed consideration of a report by the Committee on National Identity and National Population.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Saidu Alkali, said the appointment of the nominees satisfied the requirement of Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
According to him, the nominees “demonstrated sufficient knowledge of Nigerian demography, Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD), Census, Data collection and Analysis.”
In his remarks after the confirmation of the NPC commissioners, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said Nigeria was long overdue for another population census.
He stated that without a population census, proper planning cannot be achieved by the government.
The senate president recalled that the last population census carried out by the country was in 2006, making Nigeria overdue for another exercise which ought to be undertaken at the end of ten years.
“A population census is supposed to be undertaken every ten years. We need to know how many we are exactly, and that is what will aid us in planning our country,” Lawan said.
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