President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the postponement of Nigeria’s census exercise that was scheduled to take place between May 3 and May 5, according to a statement by Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture. The new date for the census will be determined by the incoming administration.

“The President gave the approval after meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council and the Chairman of the National Population Commission and his team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday (28 April 2023),” the statement reads.

The meeting took note of the critical need for up-to-date data that will drive Nigeria’s developmental goals and improve the living standards of its people. It also commended the methodology being put in place by the Commission to conduct accurate and reliable Census, especially the massive deployment of technology capable of delivering world-class census and laying a sustainable basis for future censuses.

“The President further directed the Commission to continue with preparations for the conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census in order to sustain the gains already recorded and provide the basis for the incoming administration to consolidate these achievements,” the statement read.

The postponement comes after a Federal High Court in Abuja rejected an application seeking to halt the census exercise. Omotuyi Ademola had approached the court with an ex parte application seeking a postponement for six months. He prayed the court to declare that the National Population Commission (NPC) was currently underfunded and therefore unprepared to conduct a credible, effective, and constitutional census.

However, the presiding judge, Inyang Ekwo, refused to grant the motion ex parte and asked the applicant to put the defendant, the NPC, on notice. Ekwo said the NPC should appear in court to show cause why the applicant’s motion should not be granted. The matter was adjourned until May 5.

The postponement of the census exercise comes as a surprise, given that the commission recently assured Nigerians of its readiness to conduct the exercise.