Nigeria President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has approved the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, the President made this known after holding a meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council and the National Population Commission. Buhari said that the census scheduled for May 3-7 will now be determined by the incoming administration.
In the same vein, the April 28, 2023 meeting contained a press statement signed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and released on Saturday, April 29, 2023. “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.”
The official statement added that “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. The meeting was attended by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Mr Clem Agba and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha,” the statement read.
