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Why Census Was Postponed — NPC

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The National Population Commission, NPC, has said that the postponement of the May 3rd, 2023 population and housing census, was due to the federal government’s wisdom to conduct census when nerves have been calmed and the next President has been inaugurated.

Director, Public Affairs Department, NPC, Dr Isiaka Yahaya at a media chat in Abuja on Sunday, said having a census is an event that needs enough planning that follows due process.

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This was as he urged Nigerians to dismiss misconceptions that the census was postponed due to lack of funding and preparation by the Commission.

According to him, “The census was not postponed but was rescheduled, because preparations for the census have begun already.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Buhari Approves Postponement Of 2023 Census

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“Some are having the misconception that the census was postponed due to the Commission’s lack of preparation. I want to let Nigerians know that we are prepared and we have done everything that we need to do to deliver this census starting from the enumeration/demarcation, first and second pre-test and the trial census. So the issue of our preparedness is out of it.

“The responsibility for the funding of the census is that of the federal government of Nigeria and they have lived up to expectations in financing all the preparations. And I know that if there was a consensus to proceed with the census, the money will come. We should be very clear that it’s not an issue of funding.

“The federal government has the power to decide whether the census will take place or not, this is a massive exercise and the decision cannot be only for the Commission to make. Hence, the federal government has felt in its wisdom to postpone it.

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“The Federal Government might have thought that the conduct of the census is a process. If the nation uses the data for planning then it has to be done well. If the Census is conducted by one government and another government will have the responsibility of utilising it, it won’t be a smooth synergy and transition.

READ ALSO: Peter Obi Reacts As Buhari Approves Postponement Of 2023 Census

“Fixing the census after the election, we felt the healing process that we hoped after the election everyone must have accepted the fate. But the rescheduling of the governorship election, limited the period available for this healing process to happen. The federal government in its discretion must have felt to carry out the census after the inauguration of the new administration and after nerves have been calmed.”

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Yahaya noted that the nation was not loosing anything by postponing the census but gained a lot by having extra time to continue preparations to have an effective data that will aid planning.

He said, “The kind of preparations we have made for census are so effective to the extent that if we don’t conduct the census now, those infrastructures and facilities we have put in place, will make it successful. The nation is not loosing anything substantial from the census postponement.”

In the same vein, the NPC Census Manager, Dr. Inuwa Jalingo, said the Commission was technically ready to implement the census and that preparation for the exercise continues.

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READ ALSO: Census To Hold In Sambisa Forest – NPC

We have created the necessary system that is required to implement a digital census. Starting from our software development, which we have developed for the enumeration area demarcation.

“For the success of the census, we have developed systems whereby it doesn’t allow the enumerators go beyond the boundaries in which they are expected to enumerate. So the issue of overlap or under coverage has been taken care of in our planning for this census” he explained.

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Jalingo further disclosed that salaries of the adhoc staff of the Commission have been put on hold.

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Church Of Nigeria Formally Cuts Ties With Wales Over Lesbian Archbishop

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The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has officially cut all ties with the Church in Wales following the appointment of Bishop Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the 15th Archbishop of Wales.

The decision was announced by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Reverend Henry Ndukuba, who described the development as ‘an abomination’ and a serious departure from biblical truth.

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The announcement came during the opening session of the 14th Church of Nigeria Conference of Chancellors, Registrars and Legal Officers, held on Tuesday at the Church’s national secretariat in Abuja.

With the theme ‘Called as a Watchman’, the event brought together legal minds from across the Church to discuss matters of doctrinal integrity, justice, and governance.

READ ALSO:Nigerians, Churches Groaning Under Economic Pressure — Anglican Bishop

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Primate Ndukuba delivered the keynote address titled ‘The Decade of the Reign of God: Progress, Challenges, and Prospects.’

Reacting to the Church in Wales’ elevation of a lesbian bishop, the Primate said, “We reject the election of the Right Reverend Cherry Vann as the Archbishop of Wales.”

He compared it to the 2003 consecration of Gene Robinson in the Episcopal Church (USA), which had also led to Nigeria severing ties with that province.

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“Just as the Church of Nigeria took steps after the election of Gene Robinson in the United States, we are severing every tie and relationship with the Church of Wales,” he said.

Primate Ndukuba also criticised what he described as the growing influence of revisionist teachings within sections of the Western Church.

READ ALSO:Israeli Strike On Gaza’s Only Catholic Church Kills Two

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“These individuals have not relented from their evil agenda; rather, they have intensified it. What they call their wisdom and culture is an abomination to God,” he declared.

Despite cutting formal ties with the Church in Wales, the Church of Nigeria reaffirmed its support for orthodox Anglicans in the region through platforms such as the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

We pray that the Church of God in Wales will rise up, and that the faithful among them will stand strong. We, the Church of Nigeria, alongside GAFCON, will stand with them,” Ndukuba assured.

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READ ALSO:Anglican Church Bans Partisan Speeches By Politicians During Services

Looking ahead, the Primate said the Church of Nigeria plans to expand its global mission, with new registrations underway in countries like Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland.

We feel that the Lord is calling us back to Europe for mission,” he said.

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The Primate also used the opportunity to highlight the Church’s ongoing contributions to the GAFCON movement.

READ ALSO:Church Of England Approves Blessing Of Gay Marriages

He revealed that the Church of Nigeria had recently contributed $2.5 million to the GAFCON Endowment Fund and was planning a local Nigerian GAFCON Endowment worth $2.3 million to support orthodox Anglican work and mission.

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On constitutional and legal matters, Ndukuba urged legal officers to strengthen the Church’s internal reforms and national engagement.

You are to understand yourselves to be watchmen for the Church. You defend the Church against all forms of aggression. As modern-day watchmen, we must first listen to God, then speak His truth in love, knowing our duty lies in obedience,” he said, calling on legal professionals to support the Church’s constitutional review and advocate for a new Nigerian constitution.

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EFCC Arraigns Six Katsina Revenue, Bank Workers Over N1.2bn Fraud

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday arraigned five officials of the Katsina State Board of Internal Revenue and a staff of First Bank over an alleged N1.2 billion fraud.

The accused were brought before Justice Musa Danladi of the Katsina State High Court by the Commission’s Kano Zonal Directorate on a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy and diversion of public funds.

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According to the anti-graft agency in a statement on Wednesday, the total sum allegedly diverted is N1,235,330,000, said to be tax remittances from the World Health Organization, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the Alliance for International Medical Action, which were due to the Katsina State Government.

The defendants, Nura Lawal, Sanusi Mohammed Yaro, Ibrahim Mamman, Abubakar Saidu, Rabiu Adamu Abdullahi, and Adam Alhassan Albashir, a Public Sector Relationship Manager with First Bank, were all docked and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

READ ALSO:UNICEF Advocates Six Months Maternity Leave From Working Mothers In Bauchi

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One of the charges reads:
“That you Nura Lawal, Sanusi Mohammed Yaro, Ibrahim Mamman, Abubakar Saidu, Rabiu Adamu Abdullahi and Adam Alhassan Albashir between January, 2022 to August, 2024 at Katsina within the jurisdiction of the Katsina State High Court, being staff of Board of Internal Revenue Services (BOIRS), Katsina and Public Sector Relationship Manager of First Bank, in such capacity conspired among yourselves to commit an unlawful act to wit: unlawfully converted to your personal uses the tax payments meant for the Katsina State Government and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 58 of the Penal Code Law of Katsina State and punishable under Section 298 of the Same Law.”

After their plea, prosecution counsel Musa Isah urged the court to fix a trial date to enable the Commission prove its case.

However, the defence counsels filed separate bail applications for the six defendants, requesting their release pending trial. Isah opposed the applications.

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Justice Danladi, after listening to both sides, granted bail to each defendant in the sum of N5m with one reliable surety resident within the court’s jurisdiction.

READ ALSO:EFCC Recovers Funds Lost To CBEX Fraud, Forfeiture Process Underway — Olukoyede

The Judge said surety must possess verifiable landed property, with the title documents to be verified by the court registrar.

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The case was adjourned to October 27, 2025, for the commencement of trial.

According to EFCC investigations, Rabiu Abdullahi, a former Director of Collections and current Permanent Secretary of the Board, allegedly authorised the opening of an account named “BOIRS” with Sterling Bank. Sanusi Mohammed Yaro and Ibrahim Mamman were appointed as the sole signatories.

The commission said the account became the main channel for funnelling the diverted funds to NADIKKO General Suppliers, a company allegedly owned and controlled by Nura Lawal, an Assistant Director in the Career Skills/Staff Welfare unit of the Board.

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EFCC findings also showed that NADIKKO and Lawal served as key conduits in laundering the proceeds, which were traced to multiple bank accounts linked to the suspects.

 

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FG Urges Nigerians Abroad To Register With Embassies For Emergency Support

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The Federal Government has called on Nigerians travelling abroad to register with Nigerian embassies and consulates in their host countries to enable timely intervention during emergencies.

The appeal was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Ahmed, during a meeting with the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria, led by its Chairman, Idehai Frederick, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

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According to DICAN, Amb. Ahmed stressed the importance of informing Nigerian missions upon arrival in foreign countries, rather than waiting until problems arise.

I advise Nigerians to make it a point of duty to make their presence known to the Nigerian mission in the country they’re visiting.

READ ALSO:FG Approves N4bn For 158 TETFUND Research Projects

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This simple step can help prevent misunderstandings and ensure that Nigerians receive the support they need in times of crisis.

“There was a recent case of Nigerians trapped in the Central African Republic, where some Nigerians tried to give the Ministry a bad name,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary highlighted the role of timely and accurate information in managing crises and emphasised the need for closer collaboration with media organisations like DICAN to combat misinformation.

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Most of the time, giving the necessary information before they even ask for information is crucial in managing crises effectively.

READ ALSO:FG Promotes 30 Senior NCoS Officers To Assistant Controller General

We are saddled with the role of laundering the image of the country. Hence, the inevitability of a strengthened partnership between DICAN and the Ministry,” Perm. Sec. noted.

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He underscored the significance of disseminating accurate narratives about Nigeria’s foreign policy, particularly in the face of growing disinformation.

Ambassador Ahmed also commended DICAN for hosting the maiden Diplomatic and Security International Conference, which brought together about 70 diplomats, security experts, academics, and representatives of civil society to discuss strategies for global safety and peace.

In appreciation of the Ministry’s cooperation, DICAN Chairman said, “The Permanent Secretary has shown commitment to working with DICAN, and we appreciate his efforts in promoting a positive image of Nigeria.”

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