Election Postponement May Affect Commencement Of 2023 Census – NPC

The postponement of the 2023 governorship and state assembly elections may affect the commencement of the 2023 national housing and population census earlier slated for March 29.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday shifted the governorship election which was earlier scheduled for March 11 to the 18th of March, 2023.

The electoral body took the decision to allow the commission to reconfigure the BVAS used during the 25th of February, 2023 presidential election.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Kwarra, while speaking at a meeting with the resident representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Abuja, said the postponement may affect the census.

Although no specific date is fixed for the commencement of the exercise, Kwarra told reporters that he will consult with President Muhammadu Buhari for a suitable date for the national census.

The resident representative of the United Nations Population Fund, Ulla Mueller, while speaking at the meeting, pledged the support of UNFPA in ensuring the success of the exercise.

Mueller who reiterated the importance of exercise to the attainment of the sustainable development goal said the conduct of a post-enumeration survey will also give credibility to the census.

In support of the post-enumeration survey, the UNFPA presented sixteen high-capacity computers for the conduct of the post-enumeration survey.