The federal government has shifted the 2023 population and housing census earlier scheduled for March 29.
The exercise will now hold in May.
Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, announced the development on Wednesday at the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
According to the minister, 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 18.
“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.
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