Again, FG postpones census

The Federal Government has once again postponed the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

A credible source who spoke with Daily Trust Saturday said the decision was made yesterday after a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chairman of National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa Kwarra.

The source, who does not want his name in print as he was not authorised to speak with the media, said the postponement was made due to the challenges the commission is facing to seamlessly carry out the exercise.

While he did not disclose the challenges to our reporter, the commission had previously suspended the training of adhoc staff who would carry out population count due to finance and logistic issues.

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But when asked if a new date has been fixed, he said he can’t reveal it as the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, will make a broadcast on it today.

Recall that the Census was earlier scheduled for March 27 but was shifted to May 3 due to the earlier postponement of the gubernatorial elections.

Also, the chairman of the commission had on Thursday, during a meeting with the diplomatic corps in Abuja, stated that the commission was yet to get all the devices needed to carry out the census, noting that some devices will be procured in a few days’ time.

“For the country, we require up to 800,000 PADs, so far, we have procured about 500,000. The remaining are coming in a few days’ time,” he said.

On the donations for the census by the private sector and other key stakeholders, he said “But you know the way they operate; it is not as if the money will come like that. They have to talk with their own government and look at their budget. So, that process is ongoing. But we cannot say any money has come in. It is a process, and the process is unfolding.”

According to the source, the NPC chairman was accompanied to the State House by Dr Ipalipo Harry, NPC’s Rivers State Federal Commissioner; Dr Abdulmalik Durunguwa, NPC’s Kaduna State Federal Commissioner; Tellson Osifo Ojogun, the Director General of NPC and Ms. Evelyn Olanipekun, NPC’s Director of Census.