President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census earlier scheduled for May 3 to 7 to a date to be determined by the incoming administration.
This is according to a statement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made available to Channels Television on Saturday.
Buhari was said to have given the approval after meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council; the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa-Kwarra; and his team at the Presidential Villa in 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 statement said.
“The President 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 in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.”
