By Ben Agande
Posted to the Web: Saturday, December 30, 2006

ABUJA — Nigeria’s population now stands at 140,003,542 according to the provisional figure of the 2006 housing and population census released yesterday in Abuja by the chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Samuila Makama.

In other words the country’s population has grown by fifty one million, eleven thousand, three hundred and twenty two (51, 011, 322) since the last official census figures were released in September, 1991.The official figure as released in 1991 was eighty-eight million, nine hundred and ninety-two thousand, two hundred and twenty which is made up of forty-four million, five hundred and twenty nine thousand, six hundred and eight (44,529,608) males and forty-four million, four hundred and sixty-two thousand, six hundred and twelve (44,462,612) females.

Chief Makama who addressed an extra-ordinary meeting of the Federal Executive Council said the provisional census figure comprises of seventy one million, seven hundred and nine thousand, eight hundred and fifty nine (71,709,859) males and sixty eight million, two hundred and ninety three thousand six hundred and eighty three, (68,293,083) females.

By the provisional figure of the census, the number of men in the country is higher than that of women by three million, four hundred and sixteen thousand, one hundred and seventy,(3,416,176). The NPC chief who led a team of his commissioners to the State House yesterday said by the provisional figures, the annual growth rate of the country stood at 3.2% while the ratio of male to female was 105 to 100 respectively.

According to the chairman the break down of the census figures according to the states and local governments would be available between six and eight months time. He said the conduct of the 2006 census was done with “considerable transparency and confidentiality, pointing out that even the President did not have a prior knowledge of the figure until it was released officially yesterday.

Chief Makama said the success of the exercise was because of the commitment of the President who supported the commission whole-heartedly without intervention, pointing out that anybody who had any doubt about the accuracy of the figures should not accuse the President of manipulation.

President Obasanjo who said he was “neither alarmed nor disappointed with the figures released because it is still within the range of what we are planning”, added that the way the result was released by the chairman of the commission gives joy to Nigerians and the world.

He said he will make a categorical statement on the figure after he had “followed the provisions of the constitution by submitting it to the National Council of State. President Obasanjo thanked the chairman of the commission for his ‘transparency’ and ‘secrecy when necessary’ and specifically thanked the European Union and other agencies for their support towards the success of the exercise. He said he had asked the chairman of the commission not to divulge the figure of the population census to him “until it is in the public domain.”