Tinubu: Accurate population data essential for innovative, sustainable solutions to national challenges

*President Bola Ahmed Tinubu explains the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system is the basic building block of an identity ecosystem to help improve service delivery to all Nigerian consumers, serving as ‘a vital source of identity data across Federal agencies’

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said accurate information on the size, characteristics, and demographic distribution of the Nigerian population is imperative, both for planning and effective delivery of public services to Nigerian consumers.

ConsumerConnect reports President Tinubu, who said this while speaking at the launch of the Digital Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System, and the National Geospatial Data Repository Wednesday, November 8, 2023, in the State House, Abuja, FCT, noted that the country’s population remained the greatest asset that Nigeria wields in the broader mission to become one of the largest economies in the world.

The President also explained that the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system is the basic building block of an identity ecosystem.

“It will help to improve service delivery to all Nigerians, and shall ultimately, become a vital source of identity data across Federal agencies, such as NIMC, NIS, Road Safety, INEC, Police, EFCC and other security outfits.

“The system will also improve the ability of our federal agencies to generate vital statistics on important population events and migration, further enabling the government to design well-tailored, effective and efficient policies that are capable of meeting the specific needs of the Nigerian people,” stated he.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement, also quoted the Nigerian leader to have said: “It is my hope that the current drive to re-position this vital registration system will provide the basis for the 100% attainment of our Year 2030 SDG targets in respect of real-time identity management and population data.

“Our population remains the greatest asset of the nation in the development process.”

Tinubu further affirmed that “collecting accurate and reliable information on the size, distribution, composition, and characteristics of the population is an essential governance activity that is also consistent with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.

“The Commission will therefore, be supported in the conduct of the next census.”

Commending the National Population Commission (NPC) for the initiative, the President as well asked the Commission to deploy its cutting-edge technology, especially the geo-spatial data that has been collected through the Enumeration Area Demarcation in implementing the eCRVS.

He asserted: “Coming at a time when the Commission has made substantial progress in its quest to deliver the first digital population and housing census, it is my hope that the result of the census will provide the nation with much-needed data for development planning and the enthronement of good governance.

“It is, therefore, my great pleasure to launch the VITAL REG system and the National Geo-Spatial Data Repository to the greater glory of God, our unity, and the collective prosperity of our great country.”

The President said: “I am also pleased to inaugurate the National Coordination Committee of CRVS under the Chairmanship of the National Population Commission, which is composed of stakeholders across relevant federal ministries and agencies.”

Tinubu particularly, implored members of the Committee to demonstrate maximum commitment and hard work in ensuring a huge success of the new electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (eCRVS) system for the progress, peace and development of Nigeria.