The 2023 population and housing census earlier scheduled for March 29, 2023, has been shifted to May 2023.

Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, said this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of weekly FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The minister said the postponement was necessitated by the rescheduling of the gubernatorial election to March 18, 2023 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said the council also approved N2.8 billion for the National Population Commission (NPC) to procure some software to be used for the conduct of the census.

“There was a memo presented by the National Population Commission, seeking for some software to allow them conduct the census in May this year. I believe because of the reschedulement 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.