The Nigerian government on Wednesday has shifted the 2023 population and housing census.
The exercise earlier scheduled for March 29 will now hold in May.
Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, announced the development on Wednesday at the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
The National Population Commission (NPC) had said that the postponement of the 2023 gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections will affect the conduct of the 2023 Housing and Population Census.
A staff member of the commission told Reporters that the exercise would now hold between May 3 to 7.
The minister told State House correspondents that the decision was necessitated by the rescheduling of the gubernatorial election to March 18.
He also disclosed that the council approved the sum of N2.8 billion for the National Population Commission (NPC) to procure software to be used for the conduct of the census.
“There was a memo presented by the National Population Commission, seeking some software to allow them to conduct the census in May this year. I believe because of the rescheduling of the elections, they cannot commence the census as scheduled,” the minister said.
“They sought Council’s approval for a contract to procure software for the census at the sum of N2.8 billion.”
