By John Ikani
The Federal Government of Nigeria has confirmed that the National Population and Housing Census for 2023 will commence on May 3rd and end on May 5th.
Dr. Garba Abari, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and a member of the Publicity and Advocacy Committee on the census, disclosed this during a recent appearance on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
According to Abari, the census exercise will capture every person, household, and structure across the country for national planning and project execution purposes.
He noted that the change in the date was due to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponing the 2023 gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections.
Abari stated that the census and the 2023 elections are significant national events, which had initially been scheduled to hold close to each other.
However, the postponement of the elections made it necessary to adjust the census date from the initial date of March 29 to April 2 and now to May 3 to 5.
He further explained that the census is a lengthy process that requires extensive training and sub-trainings, house listing, and numbering, similar to the election process.
While noting that there have been ongoing awareness creation, sensitization, enlightenment, and advocacy about the census, Abari acknowledged that there is still more work to be done to make every Nigerian census conscious and aware of the exercise’s importance.
Speaking further, Dr. Abari emphasized the importance of the census in the national planning and execution of developmental projects, including infrastructure development, education, health, and other demographic considerations.
He assured Nigerians that the National Population Commission is fully prepared to carry out the census exercise.
