By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Authorities have announced a shift in date of the national population and housing census earlier fixed for March 29 to May 2023.
This is the first population census the West African country will embark upon in the last 17 years after the 2006 exercise.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed told reporters about the adjustment in date at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Minister said the decision to shift the date is in response to the rescheduled state governorship and assembly elections which now hold March 18 as against the earlier March 11 date.
He also disclosed that the Council approved the sum of N2.8 billion for the commission to procure 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.
The government had announced that the exercise will be technology-driven through the use of Geospatial mapping.
No specific date has been fixed for the May nationwide exercise.
