The Nigerian government has announced that the long-awaited National Population and Housing Census will commence on May 3, 2023. This three-day exercise, which will capture every person, household, and structure, has been postponed several times, with the most recent delay due to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision to postpone the 2023 gubernatorial and state house of assembly elections.
Garba Abari, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency and a member of the Publicity and Advocacy Committee on 2023 National Population and Housing Census, confirmed the new date during a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, March 26, 2023. He emphasized the census’s importance in national planning and project execution, describing it as a significant event that would aid in developmental projects’ execution.
The census had to be rescheduled due to the gubernatorial elections’ postponement, which had a significant impact on the date of the census. According to Abari, the census is a lengthy process that involves training, sub-training, retraining, and actual house listing and numbering, followed by the population’s actual capture. Nonetheless, he assured Nigerians that the nation was fully prepared for the exercise.
The census is crucial to Nigeria’s development, planning, security, infrastructure development, education, health, and demographic considerations. The last national census was conducted in 2006, making the 2023 exercise long overdue.