The Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), Dr Paul Enenche, has challenged the Federal Government to conduct a credible national census that would provide reliable data on the religious composition of Nigeria.
Enenche made the call on Sunday while reacting to recent claims by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahya Jingir, that Muslims outnumber Christians in Nigeria.
Jingir reportedly made the claim at a campaign event in Kano State in support of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, where he also advocated support for Muslim-Muslim tickets in future elections.
Reacting during a sermon at the headquarters of the Dunamis church in Abuja, Enenche questioned why those who claimed numerical superiority had not supported the conduct of a census that could establish the facts.
“If you think you are superior, why didn’t you people allow for the census all these while?” he asked.
The cleric urged the Federal Government to conduct a “credible census” that would enable Nigerians to declare their religious affiliations, insisting that the outcome could challenge widely held assumptions about the religious demographics of different parts of the country.
“Let everybody tell you what they believe in, then you will be shocked that where you think you come from, there are Christians almost dominating in that place,” Enenche said.
He also warned against what he described as attempts to take Christians and the church for granted, amid concerns over insecurity and the state of the nation.
“Nobody should take Christian in this country for granted. Don’t take the church in Nigeria for granted,” he said.
Enenche further criticised those he accused of contributing to bloodshed and the destruction of the country, challenging them to account for their contributions to national development.
The controversy over Nigeria’s religious demographics comes against the backdrop of the country’s prolonged failure to conduct a fresh national population census.
Nigeria’s last national census was conducted in 2006, with subsequent attempts to conduct another exercise repeatedly postponed.
In a related development, former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, had in July called on the Federal Government to conduct a credible, transparent and technology-driven national population and housing census without further delay.
Kwankwaso, who is the running mate to the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the 2027 election, made the call in a message posted on his X handle to commemorate the 2026 World Population Day.
He expressed concern that Nigeria had gone two decades without a national census, warning that continued reliance on outdated population figures was undermining effective planning and decision-making.
According to him, accurate demographic data is essential for governance, national security, infrastructure development, healthcare, education, employment planning and equitable distribution of resources.
“It is deeply concerning that our nation has not conducted a national population and housing census in two decades. The last exercise, held in 2006, has left us relying on outdated population figures for critical national decisions,” Kwankwaso said.
He argued that the data gap had created serious challenges for evidence-based policymaking and equitable development, stressing that Nigeria could not continue planning for a rapidly growing population with statistics generated 20 years ago.
Kwankwaso consequently urged the Federal Government to prioritise a technology-driven census capable of producing credible results and restoring public confidence in the process.
“The time for excuses is over. The time to act is now,” he added.
