FG postpones 2023 census

The 2023 Population and Housing Census, which was initially slated for May 3–7, 2023, has been moved to a date to be selected by the new administration, with President Muhammadu Buhari's approval.

On Friday, April 28, 2023, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the President met with the Chairman of the National Population Commission and his team as well as some members of the Federal Executive Council.

In making the decision to postpone the census, the meeting reaffirmed the urgent need to conduct a Population and Housing Census, 17 years after the last one, in order to gather current data that will support the nation's development goals and raise the standard of living for Nigerians.

The president pointed out that there has been noticeable progress in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census with the completion of the country's Enumeration Area Demarcation, the running of the first and second pretests, the hiring and training of ad-hoc workers, the purchase of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and ICT infrastructure.

He also praised the approach used by the commission to carry out a precise and trustworthy census, particularly the extensive use of technology that can produce a world-class census and build the groundwork for future censuses.

In order to maintain the improvements already seen and provide a foundation for the new administration to cement these accomplishments, the president further authorized the commission to proceed with preparations for the conduct of the Population and Housing Census in 2023.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, as well as the Ministers of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, Lai Mohammed, and Clem Agba, as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, all attended the meeting.

Source