President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, earlier scheduled for 3-7 May 2023, to a date to be determined by the incoming administration.
Daily Trust reports a credible source saying on Saturday that the decision was made yesterday after a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa Kwarra.
The source, who did not want his name in print because he was not authorised to speak with the media, said the postponement was due to the commission’s challenges in seamlessly executing the exercise.
While he did not disclose the challenges to our reporter, the commission had previously suspended the training of ad-hoc staff who would carry out the population count due to financial and logistic issues.
In a statement on Saturday, Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the President had approved the postponement.
“In arriving at the decision to postpone the Census, the meeting reiterated the critical need for the conduct of a Population and Housing Census, 17 years after the last Census, to collect up-to-date data that will drive the developmental goals of the country and improve the living standard of the Nigerian people.”
“The President noted that with the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country, the conduct of first and second pretests, the recruitment and training of ad-hocworkers, and the, procurement of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and ICT infrastructures, appreciable progress has been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
“He also commended the methodology being put in place by the Commission to conduct accurate and reliable Census, especially the massive deployment of technology that is capable of delivering world-class Census and laying a sustainable basis for future censuses.
“The President further directed the Commission to continue with preparations for the conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census to sustain the gains already recorded and provide the basis for the incoming administration to consolidate these achievements.
“The meeting was attended by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Mr Clem Agba and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha.”
