From Priscilla Ediare, Ado Ekiti
The National Population Commission (NPC) has stressed the need to conduct the 2023 Population and Housing Census as soon as possible, saying any attempt to further postpone the exercise may water down whatever preparation that has been put in place.
The NPC also noted that any further delay would affect the information that has been gathered across the country and would make the information become stale, hence making the exercise fruitless.
The Honourable Federal Commissioner representing Ekiti State, at the NPC, Hon. Ayodeji Ajayi, disclosed this during the breakfast meeting for media Executives/Stakeholders on the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census held in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
The Federal Commissioner had said that the decision of the Federal Government to postpone the conduct of the 2023 Census from the scheduled date was a welcome development.
He recalled that the immediate past administration of Mohammadu Buhari approved the postponement by virtue of the power conferred on him by section 23 of NPC Act, 1989, having commended the Commission for the appreciable progress recorded, noted that the postponement would afford the present administration of President Bola Tinubu the opportunity to have input into the census process as well as give the Commission the opportunity to further perfect its processes and systems for the smooth conduct of the first-ever digital census.
Justifying his submission on why further postponement may not be safe, Ajayi said, “Putting into consideration the huge financial resources, amounting to N200 billion, and because the new government needs the data generated from the census to plan for the country, the best option is to proceed with the exercise.
“The census must be held within the shortest time possible. We have gathered information across the country. If we don’t use them within the next 12 months, they will become stale. We conducted Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) three years ago and by the time we start afresh, we had to go back to redo the EAD because so many people have migrated and so many houses have been built.
“We don’t want to start all over again. However, we cannot shy away from it if the Federal Government says so. But because of the huge finances that have been committed to this exercise, the best thing for us is to move forward and deliver the census.
“Actually, this government will need the data that we are going to produce for them to plan for this country, whether at the national or sub-national level. So, the best thing is to march forward, hoping that the Federal Government will make the proclamation.
“Once the 2023 census succeeds, the next one will not be cumbersome. The only thing required is to register movements from one state to the other. The NPC is working on birth and death registration. So, it will be very easy to remove those who are no longer alive from the register.”
Assuring that future censuses would be less cumbersome, the Honourable Commissioner said, “For us at the Commission, it will not be a difficult task. In coming up with the plan for the 2023 census, the Commission was not only looking at the immediate needs of delivering the next census but has been concerned more with laying a solid foundation for future censuses”
He added that for example, the enumeration Area Demarcation(EAD) which involved the division of the country into small land areas was meticulously undertaken in such a way that only an update would be required for any future census.
The Federal Commissioner also disclosed amongst other preparations ahead of the census exercise that the Commission had acquired Personal Digital Assistants for the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
“Large consignment of these devices have been delivered to the 36 State offices including the FCT and had been configured for the exercise. The adequate arrangement has been made for the storage and security of this equipment to prevent damages and theft,” he stated.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the State Director of the National Population Commission in the State, Mr Adebola Richard Oladipo, said some people might be anxious to hear why the census wasn’t conducted in spite of all the publicity being made in both electronic and print media.
Oladipo stated that the importance of the Press cannot be overemphasised in informing the people at the grassroots on the activities of the Commission in preparation to conduct a reliable, accurate and acceptable Digital and Green Census.