EXCLUSIVE: Why Buhari Okayed Postponement of 2023 Census
POLITICS DIGEST – The controversies over the 2023 National Population and Housing Census scheduled for between May 3 and May 7 was brought to an end on Saturday with the approval of postponement of the exercise by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Census has been dogged by controversies bordering on the preparedness of the National Population Commission, NPC to successfully handle the exercise, funding and the fact that it was scheduled too close to the end of the President Buhari’s administration.
Buhari is scheduled to hand over to a new government led by President-Elect Bola Tinubu on May, 29, 2023.
As such, there have been calls for the postponement of the exercise.
Bowing to the calls, the Buhari government, in a statement on Saturday agreed that the incoming administration of President-Elect, Bola Tinubu should be allowed to carry out the exercise.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who issued the statement said the exercise was postponed to a date to be determined by the incoming administration.
Mohammed said the president approved the postponement of the exercise after meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council, the Chairman of the National Population Commission and his team.
The minister, who doubles as the Chairman of the National Publicity and Advocacy Committee on the 2023 Census, said the meeting was held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday.
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“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.
“This will help to collect up-to-date data that will drive the developmental goals of the country and improve the living standard of the Nigerian people,” the minister quoted the president as saying.
According to the minister, the president acknowledged that appreciable progress had been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
Specifically, he said the president acknowledged the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country and conduct of the first and second pretests.
The president, according to the minister, also acknowledged the recruitment and training of adhoc workers as well as the procurement of Personal Digital Assistants and ICT infrastructure.
Mohammed said the president further commended the methodology being put in place by the commission to conduct an accurate and reliable census.
This, he said, included the massive deployment of technology capable of delivering world class census and laying a sustainable basis for future censuses.
The minister said the president also directed the commission to continue with preparations for the conduct of the census in order to sustain the gains already recorded and provide the basis for the incoming administration to consolidate on these achievements.
Mohammed said those present at the meeting included Mr Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning and himself.
Others were Mr Clem Agba, the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha.
