Population Commission Restates Commitment to Conducting Credible Census

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

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

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

Addressing newsmen 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 per cent of its preparation before the postponement of the exercise 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.

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

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.

“The country has been planning with obsolete data and projections based on inaccurate estimates,” he said.

“This anomaly is what the forthcoming census intends to correct,” he added.

He maintained that the focus of the commission was to ensure that all the resources expended so far were safeguarded and that the nation does not need to start all over when it is time for the conduct.