Nigeria to become world’s 3rd most populous country by 2050 – NPC
National Population Commission (NPC) has stated that Nigeria will become the third most populous country in the world, only after China and India by 2050. This is also as the agency again reassured the Nigerians that the 2023 National Census would be credible, reliable and accurate.
Chairman of the commission, Mr Nasir Kwarra, who made the disclosure during a news conference in Calabar, Tuesday, also informed that presently Nigeria ranks as the sixth most populous country in the world, which, according to him, makes the forthcoming census exercise ‘very significant.’
Represented by Dr Eyitayo Oyetunji, Chairman, Public Affairs Committee of the commission, the NPC boss noted that ‘the next census is not just important to us in Nigeria for planning but has international relevance.’
“The world wants to know whether Nigeria is set to become the third most populous country in the world.
“You hear that Nigeria has the biggest market in Africa and so, whatever happens to its population is of interest to any serious minded businessman and international organisations,” he said.
Kwarra who explained that this was why it used the 2022 Calabar Carnival as a platform to sensitise Nigerians on the importance of the census, added that the commission had planned the 2023 census activities ‘in such a way that it would not get entangled in the political process, had no political undertones but purely for data collection for national planning.’
While calling on the media to publicise activities of the NPC towards having a credible census, Kwarra said the 2023 enumeration exercise would be the first in Africa where every participant would be geographically defined.
Remarking, NPC Federal Commissioner for Cross River, Navy Captain Charles Ogwa (rtd), said the Calabar carnival was the biggest and most flamboyant street party in Sub-Saharan Africa with about two million live viewers. The objective, he added, is to strategically reach a large number of people within and outside Nigeria.
“At the level we are now, we have successfully demarcated Nigeria with the use of high technological methodologies.
”We have also conducted pretests and trial census in the six geopolitical zones and it was successful.
“We are also ensuring that our staff are properly recruited and trained to have a 100 per cent quality man power,” he added.
