News Editor
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.
A statement from the Minister of Information Lai Mohammed said the President gave approval for the shift after meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council and the Chairman of the National Population Commission and his team at the Aso Rock on Friday (28 April 2023).
According to the statement, in arriving at the decision, 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 was said to have noted that with the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country, conduct of first and second pretests, the recruitment and training of adhoc workers, procurement of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and ICT infrastructures, appreciable progress has been made towards implementating the 2023 Population and Housing Census in the country.
He was also said to have commended the methodology instituted by Commission to conduct accurate and reliable Census, especially the massive deployment of technology that is capable of delivering world class Census to lay a sustainable basis for future censuses in Nigeria.
Mr. Mohammed said the President however directed the Commission to continue with preparations for the 2023 Population and Housing Census in order to sustain the tempo and provide the basis for the incoming administration to consolidate on what has been achieved already.
The further disclosed that 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, Mr. 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.
It would be recalled that the commission had complained of some difficulty that could hamper the success of the exercise which prompted the commission’s to undertake remediation through consultation.
