Ahead of the forthcoming National Census scheduled for 2023, the National Population Commission, NPC, has disclosed that a trial census would be held in nine local government areas of Kogi State.
The Federal Commissioner of NPC, Prof. Jimoh Isah made the disclosure yesterday during a stakeholders’ advocacy/sensitisation meeting in Idah Local Government Area of the state.
The NPC boss stated that they were in Idah for a marathon advocacy and sensitisation of the trial census which he said would take place in nine local government areas in Kogi State.
Isah said the NPC chose the most difficult terrain as an experiment to know what challenges were ahead and to take precautionary measures ahead of 2023 census.
He added that the commission had already trained personnel who would conduct the trial census for 12 weeks, adding that 774 local government had been demarcated into enumeration areas.
The Commissioner assured the people of Kogi State that towns, villages andsmall communities or group of people would not be cheated during the census.
He explained that the era of inaccurate census as result of irregularities and other sharp practices had gone for good, noting that the NPC had deployed new technologies and strategies to make 2023 census credible, accurate and acceptable to every segments of the country.
He disclosed that every household would be counted, adding a special device would be used during the exercise and all data capturing would be dropped at the NPC’s portals in Abuja direct from any part of the country.
He stressed that the commission had embarked on workshops and seminar, advocacy and sensitisation to ensure a very huge success during the exercise in 2023.
He, therefore urged the people of Kogi East to cooperate with NPC’s enumerators and other critical stakeholders in the state to achieve the main objectives of the census in the nearest future.
In his remarks, Mr. A. F. Ojo, the State Coordinator, NPC noted while fielding a question, stated that those Nigerians who would be outside the country during the exercise would not be captured.
