Joseph Bakare
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the 2023 population and housing census earlier scheduled for March 29 has been rescheduled to hold in May 2023.
Mohammed confirmed this on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to the Minister, the decision to shift the census was necessitated by the postponement of the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from March 11 to March 18.
He also disclosed that Government has approved 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 NPC, seeking for some software to allow them conduct the census in May this year.
”I believe because of the rescheduling 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.
