Rita Odafe
The National Population Commission (NPC) has made it clear that the May 2023 Population and Housing Census will not include questions about religious affiliation. Dr. Isiaka Yahaya, the Director of Public Affairs for the NPC, stated that this decision was taken in consideration of the sensitive nature of such issues in the Nigerian polity. He further explained that the audio tape circulating on WhatsApp claiming that religious affiliations of respondents would be canvassed is false, and that it originated in Ghana during their 2021 population census.
Dr. Yahaya urged the public to disregard this rumor and to cooperate with enumerators in order to produce a credible, reliable, and acceptable census data for national development planning. He also noted that the questionnaire includes demographic characteristics and other socio-economic characteristics, but without any questions about religion or ethnicity.
