NEWS
National Population Commission Chairman, Aminu Yusuf Dies After Reported Health Complications
The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr Aminu Yusuf, has reportedly died at a hospital in Abuja, barely nine months after assuming leadership of the commission.
Yusuf reportedly passed away at Nizamiya Hospital in Abuja on Friday, August 28, shortly after the Jummah prayer, according to a source within the commission who spoke to Daily Trust.
The source disclosed that the NPC chairman had taken ill about five days earlier while preparing for an official trip to Rwanda. He was reportedly battling complications believed to be related to diabetes before his death.
Yusuf had also reportedly experienced episodes of collapse on several occasions, both at his office and during public engagements.
One of such incidents occurred on March 13, when the NPC chairman reportedly collapsed during a press briefing and the official launch of the APLS 13 Report. He was said to have experienced difficulty breathing and remained seated while medical personnel at the event intervened and administered emergency assistance before he was taken to a hospital.
The latest report of his death has sent shockwaves through the commission and the wider public, particularly coming less than a year after he took over the leadership of the agency responsible for population data, demographic planning and the registration of vital events across Nigeria.
Following his reported death, Yusuf’s remains were said to have been transported to Minna, Niger State, where his burial was expected to take place on Friday evening.
Yusuf was appointed Chairman of the National Population Commission by President Bola Tinubu in 2025 and subsequently confirmed by the Senate.
He was formally sworn into office by President Tinubu on December 3, 2025, alongside two other members of the NPC board. At the time of his swearing-in, the State House identified him as a 65-year-old chairman.
His assumption of office marked the beginning of his leadership of the commission, which plays a critical role in generating population statistics and maintaining records of births, deaths and other vital events needed for national planning and development.
Yusuf was an academic and diplomat by training. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He also earned a doctorate in International Relations from Nasarawa State University, Keffi, according to the State House.
His death, if officially confirmed, would mark a sudden end to a relatively short tenure at the helm of one of Nigeria’s key federal institutions.
As of the time of filing this report, however, the National Population Commission had yet to issue an official statement conf
irming Yusuf’s death.