VP Wants Demographic Data For Rapid Economic Transformation

Vice President Namadi Sambo on Monday stressed the need for the production of a national demographic data (NDD) of all Nigerians for rapid economic planning, healthcare delivery, security and educational development.

?Sambo made the call in Abuja at the presentation of reports and recommendations by the various sub-committees of the Presidential Committee on Centralised Demographic Database.

He directed that all recommendations of the various sub-committees should be harmonised, to produce a single and comprehensive report for presentation to the Federal Executive Council, for possible approval.

He also emphasised the need for the National Population Commission (NPC) and other related agencies to collaborate in the discharge of their various statutory functions, to ensure better service delivery on their mandates.

Sambo also advised the NPC to focus on its strategic functions “as it relates to delivering a credible census by 2016, achieving an enhanced vital Registration System and effective Population Management’’.

The sub-committees submitted various recommendations some of which include undertaking independent audit of all existing demographic data of various agencies by the second quarter of 2013.

?Others are the conduct Data Producer/Users Workshop to address issues of integration of the database in 2013, to select base identity management system (IMS) to be deployed by early 2014.

?The sub-committees also recommended that the NPC and National Identify Management Commission (NIMC) should create a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) for every Nigerian citizen by the first quarter of 2015.

?It also recommended a Centralised demographic database to be functional by early 2016, among others.

Sambo, however, set up a committee, chaired by the Minister of National Planning Commission, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, to harmonised the recommendations of all sub-committees. The committee is to submit its report within one week.

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