The National Population Commission, NPC, has appointed a former Osun State Governor, who is also a prominent chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Chief Bisi Akande, as Census Ambassador to help mobilize public awareness and political goodwill ahead of the much awaited census.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS reports that the Director-General of the NPC, Dr. Osifo Tellson Ojogun disclosed this in Abuja. Similarly, the Chairman of the National Population Commission, (NPC), Dr. Aminu Yusuf, on Thursday received the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Fund, (UNFPA) Nigeria, Ms. Muriel Mafico, at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja.
The visit followed Dr. Yusuf’s earlier courtesy call on the UNFPA Nigeria Resident Representative at the UN House, Abuja, in December 2025, shortly after assuming office as Chairman of the Commission.
The meeting centered on ongoing preparations for the forthcoming Population and Housing Census.
In his welcome remarks, NPC Chairman Dr. Aminu Yusuf expressed appreciation to UNFPA for its consistent partnership and support to the Commission, noting that the collaboration between NPC and UNFPA has continued to play a pivotal role in national population data generation and management.
Earlier, UNFPA Nigeria Resident Representative, Ms. Muriel Mafico explained that her visit was a follow-up to earlier discussions and aimed to brief the NPC Chairman on new developments regarding support for the next census. She disclosed that UNFPA has commenced consultations with development partners to mobilize support for Nigeria’s upcoming census exercise.
“We have met with the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and the Ambassador of Denmark, and both have expressed strong interest in supporting the next census through key intervention areas,” Ms. Mafico stated.
She affirmed that UNFPA Nigeria continues to advocate for the timely conduct of the census in various development forums, emphasizing that efforts are underway to ensure that the NPC receives the necessary technical and financial backing from development partners to deliver a credible and successful census.
She laid emphasis on the need for early proclamation of a census date to enable UNFPA to mobilize necessary resources for the exercise.
Ms. Mafico further announced that Dr. Collins Opiyo has been reappointed as Chief Technical Adviser for Nigeria’s next Population and Housing Census, underscoring UNFPA’s continued technical support to the process.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the NPC, Dr. Osifo Tellson Ojogun, highlighted ongoing advocacy efforts led by the Commission to rally national support for the census.
He noted that the NPC Chairman has paid strategic visits to key stakeholders, including the Minister of Information and National Orientation and the Ooni of Ife, both of whom pledged their support.
He added that the NPC Chairman will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in New York in April 2026, where the Commission plans to advocate for enhanced international support for the next census.
The delegation is expected to meet with the Executive Director of UNFPA through the facilitation of UNFPA Nigeria.
Presenting an update on UNFPA-supported initiatives, Dr. Collins Opiyo, the CTA, outlined key upcoming activities designed to strengthen preparations for the Population and Housing Census. These include:
a. Local Expert Group Meeting:
A technical forum involving Nigerian and UN experts to review census processes, recommend appropriate advocacy strategies and policy for the exercise. He added that a draft implementation plan for the next census will be presented
b. International Expert Group Meeting:
The meeting will include countries that have either conducted or are preparing to conduct a digital Population and Housing Census, with other nations invited as observers.
Dr. Opiyo also stated that UNFPA will assist Nigeria in conducting updated population estimations to inform logistics distribution and operational planning for the census. He added that UNFPA will continue to promote the importance of Nigeria’s census at the upcoming ICPD conference in New York.
The visit marks a renewed commitment by both the NPC and UNFPA to sustain their partnership toward delivering a reliable, inclusive, and technology-driven census that will provide critical data for national development.
