BREAKING: FG Postpones Population Census, Announces New Date

• The federal government has announced that the 2023 population census will no longer hold on March 29 as previously scheduled
• Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, said on Wednesday, March 15, that the exercise has now been shifted to May 2023
• The minister said the census was postponed due to the rescheduling of the gubernatorial election and state assembly elections to March 18

State House, Abuja - The federal government has shifted the 2023 population census to May 2023.

A report by The Punch indicates that the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday, disclosed this in Abuja at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the census will now hold in May. Legit.ng gathers that the exercise was initially scheduled to hold on March 29.

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Why the 2023 population census was postponed - Lai Mohammed

Mohammed said the decision to shift the census was necessitated by the rescheduling of the gubernatorial and state assembly elections to March 18, Daily Trust also reported.

The minister also disclosed that the council approved the sum of N2.8 billion for the National Population Commission (NPC) to procure some software to be used for the conduct of the census.

“There was a memo presented by the National Population Commission, seeking for some software to allow them conduct the census in May this year. I believe because of the reschedulement of the elections, they cannot commence the census as scheduled.

“They sought Council’s approval for a contract to procure software for the census at the sum of N2.8 billion,” he said.

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This is the first census which would hold after 17 years.

Nigerians react

Idowu Rabiu commented on Facebook:

"Na everything una dey shift for this country...... u people can't do without shifting."

Mansur Taye Abioye said:

"The NPC management should try and do the needful for the census to take place May, without any further postponement."

Emmanuel Omolu said:

"This government can scatter someone's arrangements just imagine if people have events that May. They will have to sit again n reschedule."

Samuel Damlo said:

"Waste of resources, another avenue of manipulation of figures."

2023 population and housing census: FG gives breakdown of salary, allowances payments for Ad Hoc staff

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government provided a breakdown of the remuneration plan for the ad hoc staff that will be conducting the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

The National Population Commission (NPC), the government agency in charge, said the remuneration is divided into two categories, allowances, and main salary.

Evelyn Arinola Olanipekun, the Director of the Census Department outlined that NPC ad hoc staff will receive three types of allowances - feeding allowance, transport allowance, and training allowance.

Source: Legit.ng