***NPC Chairman Assures Staff National Census To Hold Soon
The National Population Commission, NPC, is now awaiting the Proclamation of Census date by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Chairman of National Population Commission, (NPC), Dr. Aminu Yusuf, who disclosed this also re-assured staff of the Commission that the long-awaited Population and Housing Census will be conducted soon.
Dr. Yusuf gave the assurance on Thursday during a working visit to the Commission’s Plateau State Office in Jos.
According to him, “Only the President can proclaim the census date,” Dr. Yusuf stated. “The Commission is fully prepared to conduct a comprehensive and fully digital Population and Housing Census once the Federal Government announces the date.”
The NPC Chairman explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had assured him of the Federal Government’s commitment to conduct the census, one of the key reasons for his appointment as chairman of the Commission.
The NPC Chairman revealed that the Plateau State visit was the fifth State Office he had visited since assuming duty on 3rd December 2025, and the first in the North-Central geopolitical zone.
Dr. Yusuf thanked the Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, for his continued support to the Commission. The Governor was represented during the visit by his Executive Private Secretary, Dr. Moses Nwan, mni, the first time, according to Dr. Yusuf, that a state governor had personally sent a representative to accompany him on a working visit.
Dr. Yusuf commended the NPC Federal Commissioner representing Plateau State, Mrs. Mary Ishaya Afan, mni, for her exceptional leadership, character, and hospitality.
He revealed that he once entrusted Mrs. Afan with the role of Acting Chairman of the Commission in his absence, an acknowledgment of her trustworthiness and competence.
The Chairman also appreciated her for mobilizing all the Commission’s Comptrollers in Plateau State to welcome him and his team despite the short notice.
Reiterating his administration’s commitment to staff welfare, Dr. Yusuf disclosed ongoing engagements with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to increase staff salaries and provide affordable housing for NPC staff nationwide.
He further assured staff that the Christmas welfare package would be paid soon and that the promotion examinations would be conducted in this first quarter of the year.
“You will laugh very soon,” he told staff. “The NPC is a strategic organization essential to national development, and we must protect our mandate from encroachment by other agencies.”
Dr. Yusuf bemoaned past leadership lapses but vowed to reposition the Commission.
“Maybe previous drivers didn’t drive the Commission well. I am a good driver and I will steer it in the right direction. I am a grassroots politician; I know where and who to meet to get things done,” he said confidently.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to his 7-Point Agenda, which he said has received wide endorsement both within and outside the Commission. He encouraged staff to key into the agenda and remain focused and diligent in their duties.
“I am a servant leader,” Dr. Yusuf emphasized. “I am here to serve you and serve Nigeria.”
In her remarks, Mrs. Mary Ishaya Afan expressed deep appreciation to the Chairman for the visit and briefed him on the operations of the Plateau State Office, including the support the State Government has provided to NPC activities.
She also informed him of their plan to present the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) Report to the Governor, while appealing for additional state support to strengthen NPC programmes in the state.
On his part, Dr. Moses Nwan, Executive Private Secretary to Governor Mutfwang, welcomed the NPC Chairman to Plateau State and lauded his leadership approach.
Dr. Nwan recalled his experience at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), where his course theme, “Population Growth and Human Capital Development in Nigeria,” underscored the critical role of the NPC in shaping national planning.
He pledged the Plateau State Government’s continued partnership with the Commission.
The State Director of NPC Plateau State Office, Mr. Yohanna Domchak, thanked the Chairman for his visit, recalling that Plateau State was the only state that had both its Federal Commissioner and State Director present during Dr. Yusuf’s assumption of office.
He also revealed that Mrs. Afan was the first to nickname Dr. Yusuf the “Capacity Chairman” in recognition of his dynamic leadership.
During the visit, Dr. Yusuf presented a digital birth certificate to a registered child and a birth attestation certificate to an adult applicant. He also inspected census materials stored in the State Office.
The NPC Chairman was accompanied by several senior technical aides on the visit.
