By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr Aminu Yusuf Wushishi, has died barely eight months after assuming office.
Yusuf, also known as Talban Wushishi, reportedly died on Friday, August 28, 2026, after a brief illness.
His death was confirmed by his Special Adviser on Media, Stanley Nwosu, who told journalists that the NPC chairman died after taking ill.
“Yes, it is true. The NPC chairman died after a brief illness,” Nwosu said.
The news of his death reportedly reached Minna, the Niger State capital, around the time of the Juma’at prayer, prompting mourning among his associates, political allies and people of the Kontagora Emirate.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Yusuf died in Abuja at the age of 66, citing a statement from the NPC’s Director of Public Affairs, Adelayo Olurode.
The NPC chairman was born on April 15, 1960, in Wushishi, Niger State, according to the commission’s official biography.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Yusuf to head the commission in 2025, and he was sworn in at the Presidential Villa on December 2, 2025, formally assuming office on December 3, according to the NPC.
Yusuf succeeded Nasir Isa Kwarra, whose tenure as chairman ended in 2025. His appointment came after the Senate confirmed his nomination in October 2025.
Before his appointment to the NPC, Yusuf had built a career spanning education, politics, governance and community development.
He served as Special Adviser on Political Affairs to the Niger State Governor from 2019 to 2023 and was involved in the Tinubu-Shettima presidential campaign as Assistant Director, Grassroots Mobilisation (North Central) in 2022.
He also served as Executive Chairman of Wushishi Local Government Area, was a Member-elect of the Niger State House of Assembly and served on the board of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
During his short tenure at the NPC, Yusuf pursued reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s population and civil-registration systems.
One of the major initiatives under his leadership was the nationwide rollout of the VitalReg digital birth and death registration platform under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system. The digital registration programme became fully operational nationwide on July 1, 2026.
The initiative was designed to improve the accuracy of demographic records and strengthen the availability of data for national planning. Yusuf had described the reform as a major transformation of Nigeria’s civil-registration system.
His death comes at a significant period for the NPC, which is responsible for generating population and demographic data required for national planning, policymaking and development.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago described Yusuf’s death as a “shocking and colossal loss” to the state and Nigeria, saying his experience in demographic research, data management and policy implementation would be missed at a crucial time when his services were needed for the long-awaited national census.
