National Population Commission Restates Commitment to Conduct Credible Census

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

The National Population Commission (NPC) has reiterated its commitment to conduct the best and first-ever digital population and housing census in Nigeria.

The NPC, however, said there is no new date for the conduct of the 2023 census after the initial scheduled date of  May 3 to 7 was postponed.

Addressing journalists on the status of the 2023 census and the next steps, following the postponement, yesterday, the Federal Commissioner for NPC in Enugu State, Ejike Ezeh, said the commission had concluded over 80 percent of its preparation before the postponement by former President Muhammadu Buhari, to give the current administration the opportunity to have input into the census process.

He noted that the postponement has also given the commission the opportunity to further perfect its processes and systems ahead of the conduct.

According to him, “The commission had carried out all preparatory activities towards the census, including the Enumeration Area Demarcation, the conduct of pre-test and trial census and recruitment and training of census field staff, among others.”

However, he regretted that the last census exercise in Nigeria was held in 2006, a development which, according to him, had hindered the planning for socio-economic development in the country.

He said: “The country has been planning with obsolete data and projections based on inaccurate estimates. This anomaly is what the forthcoming census intends to correct.”

The federal commissioner maintained that the focus of the commission was to ensure that all the resources expended so far are safeguarded and that the country does not need to start all over again when it is time for the conduct.