The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr. Aminu Yusuf, on Wednesday, 22 January 2026, received the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Nigeria, Ms. Muriel Mafico, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
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The visit followed Dr. Yusuf’s earlier courtesy call on the UNFPA Nigeria Resident Representative at the UN House, Abuja, in December 2025, shortly after he assumed office as Chairman of the Commission.
Discussions at the meeting focused on ongoing preparations for the forthcoming Population and Housing Census.
In his welcome remarks, Dr. Yusuf expressed appreciation to UNFPA for its sustained partnership and support to the Commission, noting that the collaboration between NPC and UNFPA has continued to play a pivotal role in national population data generation and management.
Earlier, Ms. Mafico explained that her visit was a follow-up to previous engagements and aimed at briefing the NPC Chairman on recent developments regarding support for the next census. She disclosed that UNFPA has commenced consultations with development partners to mobilize support for Nigeria’s upcoming census exercise.
“We have met with the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and the Ambassador of Denmark, and both have expressed strong interest in supporting the next census through key intervention areas,” Ms. Mafico stated.
She affirmed that UNFPA Nigeria continues to advocate for the timely conduct of the census in various development forums, stressing that efforts are ongoing to ensure the NPC receives the necessary technical and financial backing from development partners to deliver a credible and successful census. She emphasized the need for the early proclamation of a census date to enable UNFPA to effectively mobilize required resources for the exercise.
Ms. Mafico further announced the reappointment of Dr. Collins Opiyo as Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) for Nigeria’s next Population and Housing Census, underscoring UNFPA’s continued technical support for the process.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the NPC, Dr. Osifo Tellson Ojogun, highlighted the Commission’s ongoing advocacy efforts aimed at garnering national support for the census. He noted that the NPC Chairman has paid strategic visits to key stakeholders, including the Minister of Information and National Orientation and the Ooni of Ife, both of whom pledged their support for the exercise.
“Additionally, the Commission has appointed Chief Bisi Akande, a prominent chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as a Census Ambassador to help mobilize public awareness and political goodwill,” Dr. Ojogun said.
He added that the NPC Chairman will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in New York in April 2026, where the Commission plans to advocate for increased international support for the census. The delegation is also expected to meet with the Executive Director of UNFPA, facilitated by UNFPA Nigeria.
Providing an update on UNFPA-supported initiatives, Dr. Collins Opiyo outlined key upcoming activities designed to strengthen preparations for the Population and Housing Census. These include:
a. Local Expert Group Meeting: A technical forum involving Nigerian and UN experts to review census processes, recommend appropriate advocacy strategies and policies, and present a draft implementation plan for the next census.
b. International Expert Group Meeting: A meeting comprising countries that have conducted or are preparing to conduct digital Population and Housing Censuses, with other nations participating as observers.
Dr. Opiyo also disclosed that UNFPA will support Nigeria in conducting updated population estimations to inform logistics distribution and operational planning for the census. He added that UNFPA will continue to promote the importance of Nigeria’s census at the forthcoming ICPD conference in New York.
The visit reaffirmed the shared commitment of the NPC and UNFPA to sustaining their partnership toward delivering a reliable, inclusive, and technology-driven census that will provide critical data for national development.
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