Northern Christians demand inclusion of religion in national census

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Chairman of the Northern Christian Association (NCA), Rev. Joseph John Hayab, has urged the Federal Government to include religious affiliation in Nigeria’s upcoming national census to eliminate unverified claims of numerical dominance used to sway political discourse.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, Hayab addressed recent comments made by Islamic cleric Sheik Sani Yahaya Jingir, who defended the ruling APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket based on alleged Muslim population strength.
Jingir had urged followers at a Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) event in Kano to leverage their numbers politically, while using derogatory terms toward Christians.
Hayab argued that the absence of official demographic data on faith enables groups to make unchecked assertions of dominance, which harms national cohesion.
“That is why we have called for every census to have the religious question included.
“Let us really know who is in this country and what the percentages are so that people will stop insulting fellow Nigerians,” Hayab said, urging the government to address the issue directly in the next headcount.
He clarified that political objections to single-faith tickets center on fairness and equity rather than opposition to any religion, noting that President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima received significant electoral support from Christian-majority states.

He recalled previous same-faith pairings—such as Moshood Abiola and Babagana Kingibe—to emphasize that the primary concern today is not faith itself, but divisive rhetoric based on unverified population claims.
He urged political and religious leaders to drop provocative claims of dominance and unite to address pressing economic and security challenges facing the country.
Hayab concluded that incorporating religious data into official census figures would provide an accurate baseline, curb political manipulation of demographic numbers, and foster mutual respect among Nigeria’s diverse populations.