2023 Census: Remain Where You Are-NPC Tells Nigerians

El Yakuq Ibraheem

In preparation for the 2023 population and housing census, the National Population Commission (NPC) has called on Nigerians to remain in their areas of residence and be counted.

Hon. Nasir Isa-Kwarra, the executive Chairman of NPC made the call at the opening ceremony of the North-Central second-Level Management training workshop held in Lafia.

The Chairman of NPC advised that Nigerians do not need to travel to their villages and states to be counted as the questionnaire would capture their areas of origin so, they do not need to go anywhere.

Explaining that the training was aimed at equipping state directors, local government Area management staff, and other senior management staff with the requisite skills required for a successful digital census.

“The adoption of electronic data collection technologies in the census, the workshop would expose the staff to the basic concept of the questionnaire, methodology, and management of the census.

“The first level of management training for the executive Chairman and commissioners of the commission was held before this one preparatory to the forthcoming census scheduled for June 2022,” he added.

Isa-Kwarra gave the assurance to deliver a credible and reliable census that would be acceptable to Nigerians and thereby assist in proper planning Silas Agara, the federal commissioner representing Nasarawa state at the commission, applauded the federal and state governments for approval and support for the commission to conduct a census in 2023.

Agara also lauded Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state and traditional rulers as well as other stakeholders for their presence at the opening ceremony of the training and support the state was always given to NPC.

The federal commissioner representing the state assured Nigerians that the commission would do everything possible to deliver a credible and reliable census in 2023.

On his part, Dr. Ipalibo MacDonald-Harry, census committee Chairman averred that every stage of the process from mapping, e-recruitment, virtual training, and enumeration among others was designed and built on a digital platform.

He explained that the 2023 census would be the first digital in Nigeria therefore the commission is putting the right strategies on the ground to deliver.

The state governor, Abdullahi Sule, while declaring the training open,  lauded the commission for choosing the state to host the training for North-Central states.

He explained that the state is in need of a census because the population of Karu local government Council alone is more than the population of the state as captured during the 2006 census.

The governor, therefore, appealed that Karu is used for the June trail census exercise.