National Population Census Postponed 'Sine Diem'

The national population and Housing census, earlier billed to hold between May 3 and 7, has been postponed indefinitely.

Approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, the new date for the exercise is to be determined by the incoming administration. 

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday. 

According to the Minister, approval for the shift in date was given by the President after a meeting with some Federal Executive Council members and the National Population Commission Chairman, alongside his team, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

“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-hoc workers, procurement of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and ICT infrastructures, appreciable progress has been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census," Mohammed said in the state. 

Mohammed added that President Buhari commended the methodology adopted by the Commission for the exercise, particularly the deployment technology considered capable of delivering acurate, reliable and world class census.

The deployment, he noted, is capable of laying a sustainable ground for future censuses.

Mohammed noted that President Buhari also directed the Commission to keep the preparation pace with a view to sustaining the gains already recorded and providing a basis for the incoming administration to consolidate upon.