President Bola Tinubu will announce new dates for the national population and housing census that was postponed last April, Nasir Kwarra, chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), has disclosed.
Kwarra spoke to state house correspondents after his delegation debriefed the president at the presidential villa, Abuja, on Thursday.
President Tinubu’s meeting with Kwarra comes nine weeks after the census was postponed by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Despite the postponement, Buhari had directed the commission to continue preparation for the 2023 census, in order to sustain the gains already recorded and provide an operational base for the incoming administration.
The census was scheduled for March 27 but was postponed to May 3 – 5 as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shifted the governorship election from March 11 to March 18.
At a forum with members of the diplomatic corps on April 27 in Abuja, Kwarra had revealed that the NPC was yet to procure all the devices required for the census.
He added that the NPC was still expecting donations from the organised private sector and from other key stakeholders.
On April 5, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved two contracts worth N15.3 billion for supplying and installing information and communication technology components and digital assistance devices ahead of the exercise.
Garba Shehu, then senior special assistant to the former president on media and publicity, had told state house correspondents that, “among those memos that were okayed today was the award of the contract for the supply and installation of information and communication technology components for the 2023 population census.
“This is for the National Population Commission. It is meant for census. The ICT component contract was awarded for about N10.9 billion.
“Another contract approved for the National Population Commission was the development and implementation of a mobile device management solution for the personnel digital assistance devices to be used for the 2023 population census. This is in the sum of about N4.4bn.”
Nigeria last held a census in 2006.
