2023 CENSUS RESCHEDULED NOT POSTPONED - NPC

The National Population Commission (NPC) has said that the 2023 Population and Housing Census has been rescheduled to hold after the May 29th inauguration of the new administration, adding that this development follows the federal government’s wisdom to conduct census when nerves have been calmed after the general elections.

The federal government had in a statement issued by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, postpone the exercise, which was earlier scheduled between May 3 and 7, 2023 to a date to be determined by the incoming administration.

NPC Director, Public Affairs Department, Dr. Isiaka Yahaya, during a media chat in Abuja, explained that having a census is an event that needs enough planning that follows due process.

Yahaya urged Nigerians to dismiss misconceptions that the census was postponed due to a lack of funding and preparation by the Commission.

According to him, “The census was not postponed but was rescheduled, because preparations for the census have begun already.

“Some are having the misconception that the census was postponed due to the Commission’s lack of preparation. I want to let Nigerians know that we are prepared and we have done everything that we need to do to deliver this census starting from the Enumeration Area Demarcation in all the 774 LGAs of Nigeria, first and second census pre-test and the trial census. We have used various methods to collect the data on all the houses in the country including places where there is insecurity and we are ready to go into those places to conduct the census. So, the issue of our preparedness is out of it.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for giving the Commission the necessary support to conduct the census that has eluded the country for 17 years.

“The responsibility for the funding of the census is that of the federal government of Nigeria and they have lived up to expectations in financing all the preparations. And I know that if there was a consensus to proceed with the census, the money will come. We should be very clear that it’s not an issue of funding.

“The federal government has the power to decide whether the census will take place or not, this is a massive exercise and the decision cannot be only for the Commission to make. Hence, the federal government has felt in its wisdom to postpone it.

“The federal government might have thought that the conduct of the census is a process. If the nation uses the data for planning then it has to be done well. If the Census is conducted by one government and another government will have the responsibility of utilising it, it won’t be a smooth synergy and transition.

“Fixing the census after the election, we felt the healing process that we hoped after the election everyone must have accepted the fate. But the rescheduling of the governorship election, limited the period available for this healing process to happen. The federal government in its discretion must have felt to carry out the census after the inauguration of the new administration and after nerves have been calmed.”

Yahaya noted that the nation was not losing anything by postponing the census but gained a lot by having extra time to continue preparations to have effective data that will aid planning.

He said, “The kind of preparations we have made for the census is so effective to the extent that if we don’t conduct the census now, those infrastructures and facilities we have put in place, will make it successful. The nation is not losing anything substantial from the census postponement.”

He further refuted claims that there was no awareness of the census, saying that over 3 million Nigerians applied for ad-hoc recruitment while 855,600 were selected. They applied because they heard about the 2023 Census. I can assure you that over 97% of Nigerians are aware that the 2023 Census will be conducted.

In the same vein, the NPC Census Manager, Dr. Inuwa Jalingo, said the Commission was technically ready to implement the census and that preparation for the exercise continues.

“We have created the necessary system that is required to implement a digital census. Starting from our software development, which we have developed in-house for the Enumeration Area Demarcation. For the success of the census, we have developed systems whereby it doesn’t allow the enumerators to go beyond the boundaries in which they are expected to enumerate. So, the issue of overlap or under coverage has been taken care of in our planning for this census” he explained.

Jalingo further disclosed that salaries of the ad-hoc staff of the Commission have been put on hold. He said the commission has leveraged on the United Nations standards for the digital census.

Census Manager noted that the Commission has data on Nigeria’s geo-spatial information that other government agencies have been using to carry out their own activities.

He added that the Commission was already in possession of over 480,000 tablets to be used for the census and they had all been sent to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) branches across the states.