The Chairman, National Population Commission, Dr Aminu Yusuf, has acknowledged the role of former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and former Head of State, Retd Gen Abdusalami Abubakar’s strategic contributions to national development, commending their wisdom and statesmanship.
Dr Yusuf stated this during courtesy visits to the former leaders at their Hilltop residences in Minna, Niger State.
The visits was aimed to sought guidance on strengthening Nigeria’s demographic governance and fostering sustainable development.
The elder statesmen commended the NPC Chairman’s reform vision, emphasizing the crucial role of credible population data in policy formulation and national progress.
Earlier in the week, Dr. Aminu Yusuf and his delegation paid a courtesy visit to Ms. Muriel Mafico, UNFPA Nigeria Resident Representative, at the UN House, Abuja.
UNFPA described Dr. Yusuf’s 7-Point Reform Agenda as visionary, bold, and transformational, pledging full support for its implementation.
Both parties highlighted the centrality of accurate data in achieving sustainable development, underlining joint commitment to conduct Nigeria’s next Population and Housing Census.
Dr. Yusuf appreciated UNFPA’s long-term partnership spanning over four decades and reaffirmed the Commission’s readiness to deliver a transparent and fully digital census aligned with international best practices.
Following the UNFPA meeting, Ms. Mafico led Dr. Yusuf and the NPC team on a courtesy call to Mr. Mohamed Malick Fall, United Nations Nigeria Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.
The discussions reinforced UN-NPC collaboration in advancing population management, inter-agency coordination, and evidence-based policymaking in support of Nigeria’s sustainable development goals.
Also, on December 17th, the Chairman paid a courtesy visit to Ms. Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, at the United Nations Building, Abuja.
Dr. Yusuf commended UNICEF’s crucial support for birth registration and digital CRVS systems, especially through ICT infrastructure provision and capacity building.
He reiterated that birth registration is both a legal necessity and a fundamental right.
Ms. Abdelatef reaffirmed UNICEF’s continued partnership and technical support to accelerate universal birth registration and strengthen the CRVS system nationwide
During his engagement and familiarization visits across all departments at NPC Headquarters, Abuja, the Chairman reiterated his open-door policy and commitment to staff welfare.
He pledged continuous departmental visits and feedback engagement.
Staff members expressed appreciation for the Chairman’s hands-on leadership approach, describing it as a refreshing and inclusive style grounded in empathy and collaboration.
Dr. Yusuf also inspected the Commission’s newly constructed state-of-the-art digital data centre in Kaduna State, a major stride toward achieving his digital transformation objective. He also visited the NPC Kaduna State Office.
The facility was lauded for meeting global data management standards, mirroring the Abuja centre’s quality.
