JUST IN: NPC chairman, Aminu Yusuf, dies after prolonged illness

The chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Aminu Yusuf, is dead.

Yusuf died on Friday at the age of 66, about eight months after he assumed office as chairman of the commission.

The circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately known as of the time of filing this report.

Born on April 15, 1960, in Wushishi, Niger State, Yusuf was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in October 2025 and sworn in as the substantive eighth chairman of the NPC on December 2, 2025.

Before his appointment, Yusuf served as Special Adviser on Political Affairs to former Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, between 2019 and 2023.

He had also served as Chairman of Wushishi Local Government Area, a member of the Niger State House of Assembly and a board member of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) between 2005 and 2007.

Yusuf began his education at LEA Primary School, Zungeru, before attending Federal Government College, Odogbolu, Ogun State.

In 1983, he obtained a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) from the College of Education, Minna, and later earned a B.Sc. (Ed) in Biology from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1988.

He subsequently obtained a postgraduate diploma in Public Administration in 2001 and a master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University in 2010.

Yusuf’s death comes at a critical period for the NPC, which is responsible for population-related data and demographic planning in Nigeria.