Lawrence Olaoye 
The Presidency has dismissed criticisms surrounding the composition of the committee set up to develop a report for Nigeria’s forthcoming National Population and Housing Census, describing the concerns as “laughable and ill-informed.”
The committee, which was constituted by President Bola Tinubu, has faced backlash from some commentators who allege that its composition is lopsided and skewed in favor of a particular section of the country.
Reacting to the claims on Thursday via his verified X handle, the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, defended the selection process, insisting that members were carefully chosen based on the relevance of their current official roles to the success of the national census.
“The outcry by some sections of the media on the committee formed by President Tinubu to create a report on the proposed National Census is entirely laughable and ill-informed,” Olusegun wrote.
He clarified that apart from the Principal Secretary to the President, who is serving as the President’s direct representative, all other members hold positions that are “crucial and indispensable” to the success of the census.
“It would be abominable to form any such committee without them,” he added.
The committee, chaired by Senator Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and National Planning, also includes Mallam Nasir Isa Kwarra, Chairman of the National Population Commission, who serves as Secretary; Muhammad Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation; and Engr. Abisoye Odusote, Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission.
Other members are Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Zacch Adedeji, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service; Hakim Muri-Okunola, Principal Secretary to the President; and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Operations (Office of the Chief of Staff).
Olusegun questioned the logic of the criticisms, asking: “Who among these people, whose current offices are crucial to the success of any National Census to be conducted, should be removed?”
He also addressed concerns about the committee’s size and perceived lack of broader inclusivity, noting that the mandate before the team was “narrowly defined and time-bound.”
“The task is just for three weeks, and all the President requires is a report on how to combine finances with our existing database, alongside a communications model, to ensure the success of the much-needed census exercise,” Olusegun explained.
He urged Nigerians to remain focused on the goal of delivering a credible, modern population census, adding that the administration’s efforts should not be derailed by what he described as “unwarranted premonitions.”
“We are about to have the best population census of our lifetime, and no distractions should be encouraged,” Olusegun asserted.
