President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, earlier scheduled for May 3-7 2023.
The President gave the approval after a meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council and the National Population Commission at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, April 28, 2023.
In a statement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Saturday, Buhari said the new Census date will be determined by the incoming administration.
The statement read; “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.”
According to Mohammed, Buhari said appreciable progress had been made in the preparation for and implementation of the now postponed census.
He added that the President commended the methodology being put in place by the NPC to conduct accurate and reliable census.
“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,” he said.
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, in March, said that over N869 billion ($1.8bn) was needed to conduct the 2023 population and housing census.
He said: “The total requirements for this census, including the post-census activities, is N869 billion, this is about $1.88 billion.
“When you hear the numbers, they really look very huge. Censuses all over the world, the average is between four to six dollars. However, in the United States, they spend $16 per person. In Botswana, they spend about $10 per person. So Nigeria’s $6 per person, you’ll agree with me, is very reasonable…”
