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Yekini Jimoh – Lokoja
The National Population Commission (NPC) has said its resolve to adopt edge-cutting technology for the Housing and Population Census in the 2023 exercise.
The Federal Commissioner, representing Kogi in the Commission, Professor Habiba Isah Jimoh disclosed this at a One-day State Level Capacity Building Workshop for Journalists on Effective Reporting of the 2023 Population and Housing Census in Lokoja.
Prof. Jimoh said that census was key, critical and crucial to the development of any nation and though with huge costs, it was necessary to be held decennially (every 10 years) in accordance with international best practices.
According to the National Commissioner, citizens’ needs vary from group to group and through census, government would be able to know and plan for them to be met and deploy necessary amenities, where, how and when.
“If you don’t avail this type of information to the government, the government cannot plan. Although it is very disturbing that a government will be in place and they will not think of census.
“The argument has been that, with what instrument are they going to work in their government? Census is critical, it is crucial for the smooth running of any particular government in Nigeria.
“That is why today, I am aware that the National Population Commission is preparing a document to the National Assembly for endorsement such that every 10 years census must be conducted”, he said.
The Professor of Geography assured that the Commission’s server to be deployed in the forthcoming Population Census conducted from March 29 to April 2, this year, was Hi-Tech and built in-house to resist hacking and interferences.
Speaking earlier, Mr Ojo Titus Abiodun, the Kogi State Director of the Commission said cutting-edge technology has been deployed to ensure smooth and hitch-free conduct of the exercise.
Abiodun said the Commission has resolved to conduct a fair, credible and acceptable Population and Housing Census in the country without bias for tribe, religion and race adding that journalists had a pivotal role to play in the exercise.
He said that media capacity building was imperative in the exercise adding, “As Journalists and mouthpiece of the people, you can only talk about what you truly have experience on”.
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