The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has approved the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, earlier scheduled for May 3-7 2023, to a date to be determined by the incoming administration.
The President gave the approval after meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council and the Chairman of the National Population Commission and his team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, April 28, 2023.
This is contained in a press statement signed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and released Saturday morning.
“In arriving at the decision to postpone the census,” the statement says, “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.”
Mohammed quoted Buhari as saying that appreciable progress had been made in the preparation for and implementation of the now postponed census, adding that the President commended the methodology being put in place by the NPC to conduct the accurate and reliable census.
“The President noted that with the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country, the conduct of first and second pre-tests, 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. “He also commended the method devised by the Commission to conduct an accurate and reliable census, in particular the widespread deployment of technology capable of providing an accurate census. world-class and lays a solid foundation for future censuses.”
The statement added: “The Chairman further requested that the Commission continue to prepare for the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census in order to maintain the record of achievements and create the basis for the new administration. reinforce these achievements.
“The meeting took place in the presence of the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ms. Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed; The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clem Agba and the Minister of the Federal Government, Mr. Boss Mustapha,” the statement concluded.
