President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census earlier scheduled for Wednesday, May 3, –Sunday, May 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, Nasir Isa-Kwarra, and his team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, April 28, 2023.
The FG announced the postponement in a statement signed by the Minister of Information and Culture,Lai Mohammed, and released on Saturday, April 29, 2023.
The statement reads,
“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, 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”.
The President according to the statement commended the methodology being put in place by the NPC to conduct accurate and reliable census, adding that appreciable progress has been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
The statement added,
“The President noted that with the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country, 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 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 in order to sustain the gains already recorded and provide the basis for the incoming administration to consolidate these achievements, Mohammed quoted Buhari as saying.