By Adedapo Adesanya
President Muhammadu Buhari has again approved the indefinite postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
Mr Buhari made this known after a meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the National Population Commission (NPC) on Friday night.
He said the earlier scheduled census, which was to hold from May 3-7, would be determined by the incoming administration.
The 2023 national census, which would have been the country’s first in 17 years, was initially scheduled from March 29 to April 2, but it was moved to May 2023 due to the 2023 general elections.
The FEC also approved N2.8 billion for the procurement of software for the NPC.
The census was initially targeted for 2021, but Nigerian authorities postponed the process on the grounds of widespread insecurity, especially in the north, where an Islamist insurgency and kidnappings for ransom have been raging.
Nigeria’s estimated population is more than 200 million, and the United Nations expects that to double by 2050. That would make Nigeria the world’s third most populous country, overtaking the United States but far behind China and India.
Dipo Olowookere