The Federal Government has confirmed that this year’s National Population and Housing Census will begin May 3,
A member of the Publicity and Advocacy Committee on 2023 National Population and Housing Census, Dr. Garba Abari, confirmed this when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
He said the three-day exercise would start on May 3 and end on May 5 across the country.
Abari, who is the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), explained that the census would capture every person, household and structure for national planning and project execution purposes.
The agency boss said the change in the date was due to the postponement of this year’s governorship and Houses of Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“That change by INEC made it mandatory for us to also adjust the date for the conduct of the exercise,” he said.
Abari described the census and the elections as major national events with significant importance which had earlier been planned to hold not too far away from each other.
“The census had to be put forward from the initial date of March 29 to April 2, now to May 3 to 5.
“There are two things that informed the shift in date. First, in the course of our planning by the National Population Commission, it was so factored that INEC would also tinker with its own electoral timetable.
“The governorship election, as you are aware, had to be shifted by one week. This had a telling effect on the date of commencement of the census.
“Just like election, the census is also a very long process: from the training, the sub-trainings, retraining leading up till the very day of the actual house listing and numbering.
