PAN PAYS CONDOLENCE VISIT TO NPC OVER DEATH OF CHAIRMAN, DR. AMINU YUSUF

PAN PAYS CONDOLENCE VISIT TO NPC OVER DEATH OF CHAIRMAN, DR. AMINU YUSUF

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

A delegation of the Population Association of Nigeria (PAN), led by its National President, Professor Enang Ebingha, today, 17th September 2026, paid a condolence visit to the National Population Commission (NPC) at its headquarters in Abuja over the death of its Chairman, Dr. Aminu Yusuf.

Speaking during the visit, Professor Ebingha described the late chairman’s death as a great loss not only to his family and his home state of Niger, but to the entire nation, given the national assignment on his shoulders.

Ebingha recalled his last engagement with the late chairman at a PAN conference in Sokoto in February, where, he said, Dr. Yusuf demonstrated uncommon leadership and humility. According to him, the chairman arrived in Sokoto a day ahead of the conference and hosted members of the association for a retreat at his private residence, where they held deep discussions on how to move the Commission forward, including assignments he personally handed to them.

“We never knew that was our last outing. We never knew,” Ebingha said.

The PAN president described the late chairman as a strategist, noting that in the short time they worked together, both bodies engaged relevant stakeholders, agencies and sister organisations in a bid to resolve the challenges confronting the Commission and pave the way for a credible census acceptable to Nigerians. He disclosed that PAN had even designed policy drafts for collaboration with the Commission before the unfortunate incident occurred.

“Despite all, in life and in death, we still remain one. We will ensure that the Commission achieves its objectives for the country,” he said.

Responding on behalf of the Commission, the Federal Commissioner representing Ebonyi State, Dr. Jeremiah Ogbonna Nwankwagu, said the late chairman’s death was a calamity and “a very black moment” for the NPC.

“We lost a friend, we lost a father, we lost a mentor, we lost an ally,” Dr. Nwankwagu said. “He came, and we thought he came to conquer, but death could not allow him to finish the seven-point agenda he started.”

He described Dr. Yusuf as “a square peg in a square hole,” recalling that although there is no vacuum in government, the Commission felt a genuine vacuum after his passing, with commissioners initially finding it difficult to even assemble.

Dr. Nwankwagu also testified to the late chairman’s openness and trust in his colleagues. He added that the late chairman was cheerful and personable, attaching a fond nickname to every commissioner.

“He hid himself; we never knew who he truly was until his burial,” he said, noting that thousands of people converged for the funeral within days of his demise. “That speaks volumes.”

He credited the late chairman with reviving a Commission that was “almost in comatose,” citing the strategic committees he formed, the energy he brought to the leadership, and instances where he released personal funds to drive committee work. On behalf of the Commission, he urged PAN not to withdraw its draft policy on population issues, pledging continued partnership.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Commission, Dr. Abuh Mohammed, appreciated the delegation for the visit and described the late chairman as “an angel in human form,” saying it was after his death that many came to truly know the kind of man he was. He cited the huge turnout at the burial, including the presence of the Deputy Governor and later the Governor at the third-day prayers, as evidence of the respect the late chairman commanded, despite his simple lifestyle.

Dr. Mohammed assured the PAN delegation that the Commission would sustain its partnership with the association and pledged the continuation of the late chairman’s seven-point agenda.

Among the NPC officials present at the visit were Federal Commissioners, the Director-General and management staff of the Commission.