The 2006 National Population and Housing Census concluded on March 26, 2006. It was the first census conducted in Nigeria since 1991 and was a massive logistical undertaking involving over 800,000 enumerators.
The census was critical for national planning, resource allocation, and political representation. However, it was also surrounded by controversy, particularly regarding the exclusion of questions on ethnicity and religion, which some argued were necessary for a complete picture of the country’s diversity.
The final results, released later that year, put Nigeria’s population at over 140 million, confirming its status as the most populous nation in Africa. The data provided by the 2006 census has been used for nearly two decades to guide government policy and international aid.