The National Population Commission (NPC) has clarified that only the President has the authority to set a date for the national census.
This comes in response to media reports suggesting that the Commission’s Chairman, Nasir Kwarra, announced 2025 as the proposed date for the upcoming census.
Kwarra made remarks during the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development held in Abuja, stating: “A major setback that we face is the delay in conducting a population and housing census. A reliable and accurate census is fundamental for good decision-making. But the government, at the highest level, is committed to conducting a census, and we believe it will take place next year.”
However, in a statement issued on Friday by Erelu Oloruntoba, the NPC’s Acting Director of Public Affairs, the Commission clarified that no official announcement regarding the census date had been made.
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Oloruntoba emphasised that only the President is constitutionally empowered to make such proclamations, while the NPC is tasked solely with conducting the census. He further explained that Kwarra’s comments had been “taken out of context by individuals seeking to mislead the public and generate traffic to their platforms.”
The statement added that the Commission is currently in discussions with the Presidency to determine a new date for the census, with preparations underway to finalise the timeline.
“The attention of the National Population Commission (NPC) has been drawn to misleading reports circulating online, falsely suggesting that the Chairman, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra, has announced 2025 as the date for Nigeria’s next Population and Housing Census,” the statement read.
“We wish to clarify that no official announcement regarding the census date has been made. The Chairman’s remarks have been misconstrued by individuals aiming to misinform the public rather than provide accurate information.”
It continued: “To set the record straight, during a media engagement at the 30th Anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Abuja, the Chairman of the NPC addressed critical issues, including significant data gaps in Nigeria, which hinder the effective tailoring of reproductive health services and interventions to specific demographic groups.
“We urge members of the public to seek verified information from official NPC channels rather than relying on unsubstantiated claims.”