The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Kwarra, has officially concluded his five-year tenure, handing over leadership of the commission on Tuesday.
Muhammad Dattijo, the Federal Commissioner representing Niger State, has taken over as the acting Chairman.
The brief handover ceremony took place at the NPC Headquarters in Abuja. Dattijo will lead the commission pending the formal swearing-in of the incoming substantive Chairman, Hon. Aminu Yusuf, by President Bola Tinubu.
Kwarra’s Tenure: Modernizing Data and Census Prep
In a statement issued Wednesday, the commission noted that Kwarra, who was appointed in 2020 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, expressed gratitude to his colleagues for their “unwavering support and dedication.”
His leadership focused on critical modernization efforts, including:
Strengthening Nigeria’s data collection systems.
Digitizing the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system.
Advancing preparations for the forthcoming national Population and Housing Census.
Kwarra’s tenure was defined by the build-up to Nigeria’s first census since 2006. Under his watch, the NPC made significant technological strides, particularly in digital mapping and enumeration area demarcation, to improve the accuracy of the planned census.
The Critical Task Ahead: The Long-Delayed Census
The new leadership inherits one of the nation’s most critical and long-delayed projects. The census, which was initially scheduled for 2023, was postponed due to the transition of government.
While the commission is expected to sustain its initiatives under its acting chairman, all eyes will be on the incoming substantive Chairman, Aminu Yusuf. His primary mandate will be to steer the commission toward finally completing the national census, an exercise deemed crucial for evidence-based planning and equitable national development.
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