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BREAKING: FG Postpones 2023 Census, President-Elect Tinubu To Decide New Date

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Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has approved the postponement of the 2023 National Population and Housing Census earlier scheduled for between May 3 and May 7.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said on Saturday in Abuja that the exercise was postponed to a date to be determined by the incoming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a statement he personally signed, the minister said the president approved the postponement of the exercise after meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council and the Chairman of the National Population Commission and his team.

The minister,  who doubles as the Chairman of the National Publicity and Advocacy Committee on the 2023 Census, said the meeting was held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday.

“In arriving at the decision to postpone the census, the meeting reiterated the critical need for the conduct of a Population and Housing Census, 17 years after the last census.

“This will help to collect up-to-date data that will drive the developmental goals of the country and improve the living standard of the Nigerian people,” the minister quoted the president as saying.

According to the minister,  the president acknowledged that appreciable progress had been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

Specifically, he said the president acknowledged the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation  of the country and  conduct of the first and second pretests.

The president, according to the minister,  also acknowledged the recruitment and training of adhoc workers as well as the procurement of Personal Digital Assistants and ICT infrastructure.

Mohammed said the president further commended the methodology being put in place by the commission to conduct an accurate and reliable census.

This, he said, included the massive deployment of technology  capable of delivering world class census and laying a sustainable basis for future censuses.

The minister said the president also directed the commission to continue with preparations for the conduct of the census in order to sustain the gains already recorded and provide the basis for the incoming administration to consolidate on these achievements.

Mohammed said those present at the meeting included Mr  Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice;  Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning and himself.

Others were Mr Clem Agba, the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha.

 

Credit: NAN

BIG STORY

JUST IN: President Tinubu, Shettima, Governors, Other VIPs To Pay Toll At Airports

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As part of the Federal Government drive to boost its revenue, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has mandated that President Bola Tinubu, Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Governors and other dignitaries henceforth pay the required fees at tollgates whenever they use the nation’s airports.

The approval was made days after it was revealed that at least 82 percent of airport tollgate revenue is lost through non-paying Very Important Personalities (VIPs).

 

More to come…

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How Content Creator Was Shot Dead On Set In Abuja Over N2,000

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A fast-rising Nigerian content creator, Chidike Emmanuel, has been murdered by gunmen in Mpape, Abuja.

It was gathered that the skit maker was among six persons attacked by the gunmen last Saturday in the federal capital territory.

According to The Cable, source familiar with the incident said that Emmanuel was killed at the location of a project he was supposed to feature in.

The insider disclosed that the gunmen initially demanded money in order to allow them to shoot at the location.

The content creator was said to have given the armed men N2,000. However, what transpired that led to the shooting of the cast members remains unknown.

It was gathered some of the cast members who ran for safety suffered injuries.

Some users close to Emmanuel took to X to mourn the deceased while demanding justice.

“Chidike Emmanuel Obinna I have known you since 2018 You are such a calm and kind soul You couldn’t attend my wedding because you were far away but you sent me your gift #Justiceforchidi,” Helen wrote.

On her part, Rakeli added: “Obinna Chidike Emmanuel, please don’t die please. Pick my calls, reply my chat and tell me all that I am hearing is a lie. Biko I am loosing my mind”.

Efforts to reach Josephine Adeh, the FCT police spokesperson, to comment on the matter have been abortive.

Calls and messages to Adeh’s phone have not been responded to, as of the time of this report.

The development comes a few weeks after Junior Pope passed away after a boat accident on the River Niger in Asaba, Delta state.

The actor and some crew members were heading to a movie location when the boat accident occurred.

His family disclosed that the actor’s final rites will be held on May 17.

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Police Arrest Man ‘Strapped With Bomb’ Inside Bank In Plateau

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Security operatives have apprehended a man strapped with Person Borne Improvised Explosive Device (SPBIED) inside a bank in Plateau.

The individual was arrested at a bank in Dadin Kowa town, which is in Jos South LGA of the state, according to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency journal that focuses on the Lake Chad region. According to the article, the incident happened on May 13.

Makama was informed by intelligence sources that the individual intended to set off the explosives at the bank, but a vigilante officer noticed him and alerted the authorities.

According to the publication, an enraged mob encircled the suspect after he was captured and demanded that he be murdered.

Makama could not confirm if the suspect is connected to the fighters of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The publication added that the suspect is in the custody of the police and currently undergoing investigation.

Nigeria has been battling insurgency for two decades, with suicide bombings, displacement of entire communities and kidnapping for ransom by the terrorists, recorded in that span.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said about 83 children, mostly girls, were used as human bombs in 2017 alone.

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