Nigeria will hold its first census in 17 years in May, the information minister announced on Wednesday, citing delayed governorship elections.
The census for Africa’s most populous country was initially scheduled for 29 March.
The elections for new governors was pushed by a week to 18 March.
“”I believe because of the rescheduling of the elections, they [National Population Commission] cannot commence the census as scheduled,” minister Lai Mohammed told reporters.
The results of the census determines the sharing of oil revenues and political representation.
The country’s population is estimated at more than 200 million. It is expected to be the third most populous country in the world by 2050, according to the UN.
