Nigeria delays census - its first in 17 years

Nigeria will hold its first census in 17 years in May instead of the end of March, the information minister announced on Wednesday, citing delayed gubernatorial elections.

The elections for new governors was pushed by a week to 18 March.

It is still unclear when in May the census will be held in Africa's most-populous country.

"I believe because of the rescheduling of the elections, they [the National Population Commission] cannot commence the census as scheduled," Lai Mohammed told reporters.

The results of the census determines the sharing of oil revenues and political representation.

The last census was held in March 2006, with the results released the following year - putting the population at 140 million.

The country's population is now estimated at more than 200 million. It is expected to be the third most-populous country in the world after China and India by 2050, according to the UN.

This article originally appeared on BBC News.

Image via AFP.