Why the 2023 Population and Housing Census was Postponed

The 2023 Population and Housing Census was postponed due to the government’s transition program and post-election mood in the country. Inuwa Jalingo, the 2023 Census manager and director of the National Population Commission (NPC), said the commission had prepared the ground for the first-ever digital census in Nigeria and had achieved top-notch success in all ramifications in terms of preparation. He praised the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for its support, saying the commission had successfully trained about 60,000 facilitators across the country. Mr. Jalingo reiterated the benefits of the census, which were not unconnected with national economic planning and the provision of data for administrative planning. The NPC had postponed the census earlier scheduled for May 3 to May 7 indefinitely.