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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The National Population Commission (NPC), on Friday, assured Nigerians that the 2023 Population Census with the aid of available technology cannot be manipulated.
The Chairman of the Commission, Nasir Kwarra, gave the assurance while speaking to State House Correspondents, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He explained that the technology would make it difficult for anyone to manipulate the exercise.
Accord to Kwarra, the exercise will be different from the previous ones marred by controversies as the Commission will be making use of cutting-edge technology, including Global Positioning System (GPS) and satellite images, noting that every building in the country has already been coded for the purpose.
“This census is going to be different from past censuses. The theory and practice is essentially the same, but we’re using high-end technology to conduct this census and it’s such that nobody can tamper with any figure. Nobody will be counted more than once.
“We’re visiting households to do direct interface with the household, collect data and in the past in the past if you’re doing an operational manually, it’s very cumbersome, but this is being aided by technology and I believe it’s going to be transparent and very fast and it is going to be verifiable because we are able to provide data up to local government, up to wards level. So it is something that you can always verify”, he said.
Kwarra affirmed that the exercise proper will take place between in late March and early April, adding that the demarcation of enumeration areas has been completed.
The NPC boss added that a portal has been opened by the Commission to recruit ad-hoc staff for the conduct of the exercise, adding that people recruited will be deployed to work in their localities.
Reacting to worries being expressed as regards the security situation in parts of the country, he expressed hope that the exercise can be conducted smoothly in the areas affected.
Meanwhile, Kwarra has said the 2023 national population and housing census will hold from March 29 to April 1, 2023.
“By March 29 to April 2, our staff will be in the field enumerating people,” he said.
He also noted that non-Nigerians will be counted so long as they are in the country at the time of the exercise.
