By Victor Ayeni
The National Population Commission has disclosed that the country’s next population census will be held after the 2023 general elections scheduled for March.
The NPC Chairman, Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, stated this on Monday during his visit to the former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, in Ikoyi.
Kwarra, who was accompanied by a delegation of members of the NPC who are federal commissioners, noted that the country has been ripe for another census since 2016, and would deploy technology in the next exercise.
He said, “We came here today to seek your support for the 2023 census. We have chosen it after the national elections. In the last trial census we conducted, we made sure all political parties have done their primaries in June, then in July, we conducted ours and the results have come out favourably.
“In the same way, after the general elections held in March, we will still wait for some time in case there are grievances, then we will commence the population census and we will deploy technology in order for it to be accurate, transparent, and properly verify the data.”
In his response, Anyaoku said, “It is to the benefit of the citizens that the country must have an accurate census.
“It is regrettable that in Nigeria many of the past census exercises have been replete with controversy; so my hope is that this time, you will get it right. I call on all our compatriots to welcome the census exercise.”