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The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr. Aminu Yusuf, has died, barely eight months after assuming office.
Yusuf, who was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and sworn in as chairman of the commission in December 2025, reportedly died on Friday.
The cause of his death was not immediately disclosed, although sources close to his family confirmed the development.
A senior Presidency source also confirmed Yusuf's passing, while the National Population Commission and his family had yet to issue official statements or announce burial arrangements as of the time of filing this report.
His death comes less than a year after he took over the leadership of the commission, where he spearheaded efforts to reform Nigeria's civil registration and vital statistics system.
The development is expected to trigger a leadership transition at the commission, which is responsible for generating population and demographic data for national planning and policy formulation.
President Tinubu had sworn Yusuf into office alongside two commissioners, Dr. Joseph Haruna Kigbu and Tonga Betara Bulatafa.
Before his appointment, Yusuf had a career spanning education, grassroots mobilisation, politics, governance and community development.
Born on April 15, 1960, in Wushishi, Niger State, he attended LEA Primary School, Zungeru, and Federal Government College, Odogbolu, Ogun State.
Between 2019 and 2023, he served as Special Adviser on Political Affairs to the Niger State Governor and later worked as Assistant Director, Grassroots Mobilisation (North Central), in the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2023 general election.
Until his appointment as NPC chairman, he was National President of the Niger State College of Education Alumni Association, Minna, and was actively involved in youth and women empowerment initiatives in Niger North Senatorial District.
During his brief tenure, Yusuf championed the digitalisation of Nigeria's civil registration system, culminating in the nationwide rollout of the VitalReg electronic birth and death registration platform on July 1, 2026.
He remained active in office until his death, including leading an NPC delegation to the palace of the Ooni of Ife earlier this year to seek traditional institutions' support for population awareness and civil registration campaigns.
His death has drawn shock among colleagues and stakeholders, who described him as a committed public servant whose tenure at the commission was cut short.
