TELL Magazine

The national head count originally planned for May 3 to May 7 may have to be delayed for the incoming administration of Bola Tinubu, the president-elect scheduled to be sworn in on May 29, 2023. This is because the federal government has suspended the exercise. A statement by Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture said President Muhmmadu Buhari had approved the suspension, and that the onus was now on the Tinubu administration to reschedule the exercise.

It was initially scheduled to hold between March 29 and April 2, but had to be shifted because of the rescheduling of the governorship election, which was finally held on March 18. That too was announced by Mohammed.

This time, Mohammed explained that the decision was taken by the president after a meeting he had with some members of the federal executive council, which included the attorney general of the federation, and also the leadership of the National Population Commission. The president, he said, appreciated efforts of the Commission so far, stating “In arriving at the decision to postpone the census, the meeting reiterated the critical need for the conduct of a Population and Housing Census, 17 years after the last census.”

While commending the technology used for the exercise by the Commission, the president enjoined them to continue with the pre-census exercise so as to enable the incoming administration to adequately determine the new dates after inauguration.