Nigeria, April 17 -- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has set the wheels in motion for Nigeria's long-delayed national population and housing census, inaugurating a high-powered committee and giving it just three weeks to deliver an interim report.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, emphasised the urgent need for accurate demographic data to inform national development, resource allocation, and policy planning.

The last census, which was last held in 2006, recorded over 140 million Nigerians. Nearly two decades later, the President is pushing for a modern, verifiable count that reflects Nigeria's current population reality.

The ne...