FG shifts 2023 census to May 2

FEDERAL Government, on Wednesday, said the 2023 population and housing census earlier scheduled for March 29, 2023, has been postponed to May 2, 2023.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this when he briefed State House Correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council Meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari ,on Wednesday, in Abuja.

He said 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.

The minister also disclosed that the council 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 National Population Commission seeking some software to allow them to 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.