President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census in Nigeria, earlier scheduled for 3-7 May 2023.
The decision was made after a meeting with members of the Federal Executive Council and the Chairman of the National Population Commission.
The meeting reiterated the importance of conducting a Population and Housing Census, as it will provide up-to-date data that will drive the developmental goals of the country and improve the living standards of Nigerians, News About Nigeria gathered.
With the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country, the conduct of first and second pretests, the recruitment and training of adhoc workers, procurement of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and ICT infrastructure, appreciable progress has been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
Despite the postponement, the president directed the commission to continue with preparations for the conduct of the census in order to sustain the gains already recorded and provide the basis for the incoming administration to consolidate these achievements.
The commission has been commended for the methodology being put in place to conduct an 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 decision to postpone the census has raised questions and concerns about the readiness of the country to conduct a census, given the challenges of security and logistics in some parts of the country.
However, the government has assured Nigerians that preparations will continue, and a new date will be determined by the incoming administration.
The meeting was attended by top government officials, including the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
