Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC), Enugu State, Hon. Ejike Eze who spoke at a breakfast meeting with media executives in Enugu on the forthcoming National Population and Housing Census, allayed fears that the new administration might discontinue the census exercise.

Eze stated that the President being an accountant and technocrat, appreciates the importance of census information in national planning, especially in policy and programme formulation, budgeting, among others.

He also said that the NPC accepted decision of the last administration to postpone the conduct of the census in order to give the new administration the opportunity to make inputs into the process.

Eze further disclosed that it allowed the commission perfect its processes and systems for the conduct of the first ever digital National Population and Housing Census in Nigeria.

He said;

“As you are aware, the Commission has carried out all the preparatory activities towards the census such as the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD), conduct of pre tests and trial census, recruitment and training of census field staff, procurement and configuration of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), establishment of ICT infrastructure across the country and logistics support and advocacy and publicity activities.

Conscious of the enormous human and material resources that have been expended in the implementation of these preparatory activities, the most important task before the commission is to sustain and reinforce the relevance of these activities to the successful conduct of the 2023 Census. This will ensure that the nation does not have to start afresh, the conduct of the census thereby saving costs.

“The processes and systems put in place for the census are therefore being currently reviewed to determine what needs to be done to ensure that the preparations do not become obsolete for the census. The focus of the commission is to ensure that all the resources expended so far are safeguarded and that the nation does not need to start all over when the census is going to be conducted.

“For us at NPC, this is not a difficult task. In coming up with the plan for the 2023 Census, we were not only looking at the immediate needs of delivering the next census, but concerned more with laying a solid foundation for future censuses.

“This mindset informed the scope and quality of arrangements put in place. For example, the EAD, which involved the division of the country into small land areas, was meticulously undertaken in such a way that only an update will be required for future censuses. Using satellite imageries, the Enumeration Areas (EAs) were all geo referenced with the coordinates of all the buildings established. The products of the EAD are currently being used by other government agencies.”

Less than a week to the commencement of the national population and housing census, there are rising indications that it may be shifted due to funding and other logistic barriers.

However, the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa-Kwarra, has disclosed that the commission will meet with the Federal Government on Friday to validate the date for the national population and housing census.

He said, “The census date is fixed for May 3. We are meeting with the government finally to validate that date tomorrow (Friday), and hopefully, we will be able to let the world know if that May 3 stands or should be shifted.”

He made this disclosure during a meeting with the Diplomatic Corps in Abuja on Thursday.

Isa-Kwarra also said that there would be a restriction on movement during the first three days of the National Housing and Population Census.

The NPC chairman said, “Restriction of movement is often considered as important during enumeration to enhance full coverage of the population. This measure will go a long way to control individual mobility and as such, enumerators are able to meet the households in their residences. The restriction also helps to check double enumeration as it reduces the chances of persons moving from one location to another to present themselves for enumeration more than once.

“The National Population Commission plans to request the Federal Government of Nigeria for restriction of movement during the first 3 days of Census enumeration.

For the 2023 Population and Housing Census, it is scheduled that the first 3 days of enumeration fall on weekdays preferably, Wednesday to Friday so that enumeration can be rounded off in the last two days at the weekend.”

He, however, said that diplomats and all those who would be on essential duties are to be exempted from restrictions.

The NPC chairman further disclosed that the commission had yet to get all the devices needed to carry out the census, noting that some devices will be procured in a few days’ time.

“For the country, we require up to 800,000 PADs, so far, we have procured about 500,000. The remaining are coming in a few days’ time,” Isa-Kwarra said.

Contacted, the Director of Public Affairs, NPC, Isiaka Yahaya, to speak on the possibility of the census holding, but he said, “No comment”.

However, he affirmed that there would be a restriction of movement during the census when a date is fixed.

Mrs Izonfuo, a former Head of Service in Bayelsa State was abducted at the Ogbakiri junction in Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers State while returning from a trip in Brass, Bayelsa state last Sunday.

The gunmen had whisked her away alongside her driver and maid.

The spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed her release to our correspondent on Friday morning.

“Yes, she was released this morning (Friday). An investigation is still ongoing to apprehend the kidnappers and make them face justice,” Iringe-Koko stated.

Asked if Mrs Izonfuo’s driver and maid were freed alongside, the state police image maker in a terse response said, “Okay, I will get back to you on that.”

However, it could not be ascertained if any ransom was paid.

The commissioner said there had been several attempts by hackers to compromise  the NPC server but they had all failed.

“As against lies and rumours that have been peddled, the NPC server has never been hacked because we have never rested and we won’t rest until the programme becomes successful.

“We at the NPC are fast learners; we quickly learned from the experience of the Independent National Electoral Commission, in the last election and we have put additional security measures in place that not even our staff can crack,” the don said at a press conference, tagged, ‘Journey So Far’ in Lokoja on Tuesday.

Isah said the server was one of the most important aspects of the census and the NPC understood the need to protect it from being hacked.

He added, “In the time past, censuses have been conducted using paper and pen but this time, the census will be conducted using Android devices such that once the information is got, it will go directly to the server.

“Apart from our actions against hackers and intruders, we have been able to conduct a series of training for different stakeholders of the commission, including the Federal Commissioners.

“The recent training for Federal Commissioners was held in Port Harcourt while the state directors and other officials of the commission are undergoing continuous training.”

The commission said the upcoming census would be a tool for national planning, adding that “no serious government is supposed to take census as a joke. Any serious-minded government should take the population and housing census as an issue of key interest.”

He also assured residents and citizens of Kogi  that the census would be transparently conducted and alleyed fears of figures manipulation.

He added that no part of the state would be left out as the commission had  procured speed boats to get to places like Ibaji and Bassa LGs that are surrounded by water.

He added that sensitive issues like religion, language and ethnicity had been removed from the templates because of crisis and clashes associated with them in some parts of the country.

Isah said the NPC leadership  would be meeting with the Federal Government at the Federal Executive Council meeting to brief the executive arm of the government on the commission’s level of preparedness.

Dr Ipalibo Harry, Chairman Census Committee told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday.

Harry assured that the postponement would not affect the conduct of the Population and Housing Census scheduled to hold from May 3 to May 7.

He said that the commission was ready to conduct a credible census, adding that they had already concluded the training of Quality Data Managers and others.

The census committee chairman said a new date for the training of the enumerators and supervisors would be communicated as soon as possible.

The commission stated further that everyone living in the country, including foreigners, would be counted as it urged people to make themselves available.

Saturday PUNCH reports that the exercise will be the first since the 2006 census. The commission had promised that the exercise would be done digitally.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Friday, the spokesperson for the NPC, Isiaka Yahaya, stated, “There won’t be a public holiday, because during public holidays people can move from one place to another, but there may be restriction on movement, based on past experiences. However, I can’t confirm that now. The government will come out with a categorical statement on that.”

Foreigners will be counted as long as they are in Nigeria. Everybody on the land space of Nigeria will be counted. If you look at the definition of Census, it is the enumeration of all persons. It did not say only citizens. So, everyone resident in the country during the census period will be counted.

“There will be a section that will ask if you are a foreigner or not and the country they are from. It is part of the data to be collected, so it is not separate.”

Asked to clarify whether anyone who refuses to present themselves for the exercise would be sanctioned, he said, “It is a rumour that people who refuse to be counted will be sanctioned. All I know is that we have encouraged all Nigerians to make themselves available for counting because the exercise is in national interest. There are actually offences that we do not want to emphasise, but we do not have the power and capacity to lock anyone up.”

Meanwhile, the NPC Director in Plateau State, Pam Dame, has given an assurance that the exercise will be credible and reliable.

Speaking when he visited the Plateau Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Jos on Friday, Dame who reiterated the importance of the exercise to planning and national development said the commission would deploy technology to ensure that the exercise was done with minimal hitches.

While calling on Nigerians to cooperate with the personnel that would conduct the exercise, he noted, “The forthcoming census will be a bit unique because we have made arrangements for improvement over the previous ones. We will deploy technology so as to curtail chances of manipulation and make it credible, reliable and acceptable to Nigerians.

“It will be very difficult for anyone to manipulate this census because we will deploy what is needed to make it credible and acceptable.”

The state chairman of NUJ, Mr Paul Jatau, tasked the commission to conduct proper training for its officials to avert challenges experienced during the general elections.

The commission also stressed that citizens living away from their states of origin do not need to travel to home for the purpose of the exercise.

It said people would be enumerated at their places of residence.

The spokesperson for the commission, Isiaka Yahaya, said this in an interview with our correspondent on Monday.

He said,”People should stay where they are, to be counted. They are not to move to their states of origin. It is totally against the essence of the census. You have to be counted where you reside because that’s where you enjoy the social facilities like education and health, among others.

Apart from this, when the time comes for people to be provided with infrastructure and other things you will not allow the planners to have accurate figures.  People are not to move.”

On measures to check malpractices, the NPC spokesman added: “This is a de facto census. We are asking practical questions about those who are living, not those who are yet to be born. We have not trained our enumerator to count people who are not yet born. We have a system in place to guard against all the malpractices that we have envisaged.

Also, people can only be counted in their houses.  This is to discourage people from moving from one place to another after being counted. You can only be counted in one place. There’s will nothing to lie about. When we get to your house, the enumerators would see whatever you say you have and we are not asking for the owner of the house, why will anybody lie?”

Yahaya said the commission had not finished the recruitment process for enumerators.

The census is billed to hold from May 3 to 7, 2023.

Kwarra said apart from being a national event, the exercise would help the government and other agencies with accurate data to work with.

He added that a lot of resources and efforts had been invested to ensure that the exercise is credible and successful.

The chairman who was represented by his Special Assistant, Husaini Isiyaku, stated these at a workshop held for social media influencers and bloggers in the country on Saturday in Abuja.

He said, “Census is a national event and is the responsibility of every citizen to participate by presenting themselves to be counted. The commission will no doubt need the support of all stakeholders to deliver to the country credible and reliable data it can use for sustainable development planning.

“Over the years, the Commission has invested considerable time and resources in planning for the census by drawing from its rich institutional experience spanning two censuses and a pool of tested professionals to give the nation a truly digital and scientific census that will generate data for planning within the context of our present realities.”

He stated that the commission has not stopped engaging in activities that would ensure the exercise is successful.

“The Commission has made significant progress in preparation for the census. We have completed Enumeration Area Demarcation, conducted two pre-tests and Trial census, trained facilitators for the census and other preparatory activities are presently going as we speak.

“These efforts have laid the groundwork to ensure that the census succeeds and is implemented according to best practices. In addition, the Commission has developed a Census Strategic Plan and Implementation Strategy detailing a whole range of activities to be carried out in the pre-census, actual census, and post-census stages,” Kwarra said.

The governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Wednesday, inaugurated the committee at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital.

Akeredolu implored the committee to ensure it properly educate, inform and sensitise residents of the state on the conduct and relevance of the year 2023 Population and Housing Census.

the census population was shifted to May due to the presidential and governorship elections held recently.

Members of the Committee include the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Owena Press Limited, publishers of the Hope titles, Sir Ademola Adetula; the Chairman, Ondo State Radiovision Corporation Media Group, Mr Kunle Adebayo represented by Taiwo Ibitoye; the General Manager, Nigerian Television Authority, Akure, Mrs Olubunmi Oke; the Nigeria Union of Journalists Chairman, Ondo State Council, Prince Leke Adegbite; Heads of Media organisations in the state; among several others.

Others include Chairman, League of Imams and Alfas, Ondo State; Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe; Ondo State Christian Association of Nigeria Chairman, Rev. Fr. Anselm Ologunwa; Chairman, Ondo State Council of Obas and Deji of Akure Kingdom, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi; members of Ondo State House of Assembly; leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students; the Iyalajes/Iyalojas in the state.

Mrs Odunayo Olubayode is the Secretary of the Committee.

The NPC Federal Commissioner in Ondo State, Prince Diran Iyantan, disclosed the target of the 2023 census is to produce accurate, reliable and inclusive data that will be used for planning and critical programme interventions.

He called on the committee members to be proactive while urging residents of the state to make themselves available during the exercise