The federal government has announced the shift in date for the 2023 population and housing census earlier scheduled for March 29.
Minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed announced the development on Wednesday at the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
Mohammed told State House correspondents that the decision was necessitated by the rescheduling of the gubernatorial and house of assembly election from March 11 to March 18.
The exercise according to the minister will now hold in May.
He also said that the council approved the sum of N2.8 billion for the National Population Commission (NPC) to procure 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,” the minister said.
“They sought Council’s approval for a contract to procure software for the census at the sum of N2.8 billion.”
