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  • Census: NPC postpones training for Enumerators, Supervisors

    Census: NPC postpones training for Enumerators, Supervisors

    The National Population Commission (NPC) has postponed indefinitely, the training for Enumerators and Supervisors earlier slated for April 13.

    Dr. Ipalibo Harry, Chairman Census Committee disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Harry assured that the postponement would not affect the conduct of the Population and Housing Census scheduled to hold from May 3 to May 7.

    He said that the commission was ready to conduct a credible census, adding that they had already concluded the training of Quality Data Managers and others.

    The census committee chairman said a new date for the training of the enumerators and supervisors would be communicated as soon as possible.

  • 2023 census will be Nigeria’s best ever – NPC assures

    2023 census will be Nigeria’s best ever – NPC assures

    The National Population Commission (NPC) has assured that the 2023 National Population and Housing Census will be the best ever conducted in the history of the country.

    NPC’s Federal Commissioner in Gombe State, Mr Abubakar Danburam, stated this in Gombe on Tuesday during the inauguration of a 16- member Advocacy and Logistics Committee for the 2023 Population and Housing Census in the state.

    Danburam said with the efforts so far made by the commission as well as the digitalisation of the exercise, the 2023 census would be better than any one conducted in the nation’s history of conducting census.

    He said with the commission leveraging technology and modern approach to conducting census, there was no doubt that the 2023 exercise would be an improvement on the ones conducted in the past by the commission.

    He said the priority of NPC in conducting accurate, reliable and acceptable census was as a result of the importance of census for development planning and other interventions that would help improve citizens’ wellbeing.

    According to him, the 2023 census will address the irregularities associated with previous exercises.

    “I can remember very well the 1963 census, there were lots of irregularities due to lack of development. The 1973 census, there was little improvement compared to that of 1963.

    “Subsequent censuses came up with a lot of improvements. The current census to be conducted, from the level of demarcation, is digital.

    “It is so because we are now matured enough to use the satellite image. The satellite image was used for the demarcation and the demarcation is called the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD),” he said.

    He explained that the EAD was the foundation of the current census: “This demarcation was done meticulously and neatly. Every part of this country has been demarcated, no leftover, no overlap.

    “This is giving us all the assurance that the census to be conducted will be digital and hopefully the best census conducted so far in this country.”

    While inaugurating the 16-man Committee, Manassah Jatau, the Deputy Governor of Gombe State who doubles as the chairman of the committee, said the 2023 census would provide vital information about the socio-economic variables of the nation’s population.

    Jatau advised the commission to take proactive measures to curb the threat of manipulation during the exercise as the NPC was working to conduct a credible census that would meet best global practice.

    “The digital census is most likely to eliminate previous bottlenecks such as political, religious and cultural sentiments associated with accurate census in the country over the years.

    “However, we should note that it is human beings that control and sometimes manipulate these machines that were meant for ease of carrying out tasks, jobs more accurately, with great precision,” he said.

    To his committee members, the chairman said their duty was to enlighten, sensitise and get the support of residents of Gombe State towards the successful conduct of the exercise in May.

  • 2023 Census: NPC set to begin training of workers for the exercise

    2023 Census: NPC set to begin training of workers for the exercise

    The National Population Commission, (NPC) has concluded plans to train and deploy 5,000 staffers for the 2023 population and housing census in Adamawa State.

    The 5,000 workers comprise of both permanent and adhoc staffers for the exercise in all 21 local government areas of the state.

    Training at the local government level is scheduled to begin next Thursday, April 13, in all the 21 LGAs.

    The NPC Commissioner in Adamawa State, Dr Clifford Zirra, confirmed that the 5,000 permanent and adhoc staff are to receive the training in seven days.

    He added that this would come after seven days of data quality managers and specialized workforce training organized by the commission in all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

    The NPC official further explained that the planned general staff training would hold concurrently across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.

    the 2023 census, which is planned to capture every person, household and structure for national planning and project execution purposes, is scheduled to hold in May 2023.

    The three-day exercise is scheduled for May 3, 4 and 5.

    The Nigerian population figure has been assumed to be in the region of 200 million people but the census programme is meant to achieve the exact figure or something close to it.

  • Postponement of elections will delay 2023 census – NPC

    Postponement of elections will delay 2023 census – NPC

    Nasir Kwarra,  the Chairman of the National Population Commission, has explained that the commencement of the 2023 national housing and population census, earlier slated for March 29, is likely to be affected by the postponement of the 2023 gubernatorial and National Assembly election in the country.

    Kwarra  made this known while speaking at a meeting with the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Fund, Ms Ulla Mueller, in Abuja on Friday.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that INEC announced the postponement of gubernatorial and State Assembly election by one week.

    The election originally fixed for March 11 will now hold on the 18th of March 2023.

    As a result, the NPC chairman said he would consult with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buahri (retd.), on a suitable date for the national census to begin as no date specific date had been assigned for it.

    On her part, the Resident Representative pledged the support of the UNFPA in ensuring the success of the exercise.

    She, however, explained that the conduct of a post-enumeration survey would also give credibility to the census and reiterated the significance of the exercise to the attainment of the sustainable development goal

    To show support of the post-enumeration survey, the UNFPA presented sixteen high-capacity computers for the conduct of the survey.

  • 2023 census will meet international best standards – NPC

    2023 census will meet international best standards – NPC

    The Executive Chairman of National Population Commission (NPC), Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, said the commission would generate quality data to meet international standards in the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

    Kwarra said this at the inauguration of the 2023 Census National Publicity Committee in Abuja.

    He assured that the commission would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the results of the census were acceptable to Nigerians.

    “The commission will deploy full digital technology in the conduct of the census and it will leave no stone unturned in ensuring the result of the census is acceptable to Nigerians.

    “And the quality of the data to be generated meets the international best standards,” he said.

    He reiterated that the vision of the 2023 census was to produce not only accurate, reliable and acceptable census data but also an inclusive and user-friendly data that would be used by all segments of the society for development planning.

    According to him, in all these, the need for Advocacy, Publicity and Public Enlightenment cannot be overemphasised.

    The Executive Chairman, who commended the Minister of Information and Culture for his support, said the commission’s job and that of the committee was phenomenal.

    He expressed the need to inform, educate and enlighten Nigerians on the scope of the Census which will involve the counting of every person resident in Nigeria.

    “Given this scenario, information, they say, “rules the world”;  as such, targeted advocacy and sustained publicity is no doubt imperative to the successful conduct of the census.

    “This becomes even more crucial in view of the fact that the census is taking place after the 2023 General elections.

    “Therefore, the mobilisation of critical stakeholders to support and take ownership of the process to achieve the desired outcome is imperative.”

    He added: “And it hinges absolutely on our ability to speak to the people in the language that will galvanize and mobilize them to participate in the 2023 census.”

    Kwarra, however, said the commission would be relying on the committee’s expertise and structures to drive the message into every home and household.

    Kwarra also promised to organise a workshop for the members to ensure that members of the National Census Publicity Committee had good grasp of the processes and methodology of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, is the Chairman of the Committee.

    The NPC Chairman is the Co-Chairman, Mr Buki Ponle, Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria, is a member, among others.

  • Training of census personnel, vital for better experiences – NPC

    Training of census personnel, vital for better experiences – NPC

    Census training centres have been described as unique in providing distinctive learning experiences that would shape the proficiency of personnel.

    Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, Executive Chairman, National Population Commission (NPC), said this while declaring open the National Level Training of Centre Managers and Administrators (TCMA) for 2023 Population and Housing Census in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Kwarra urged the participants to utilise the opportunity by being committed to the commission’s work, to generate credible, reliable and acceptable data for development planning purposes.

    “Census training centers are unique, unlike conventional schools; they are structured to provide distinctive learning experiences that will shape the proficiency of the Census Workforce.

    He explained that the success of every project was a direct function of the quality of manpower deployed in its execution and for a major national assignment such as the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

    According to him, its overall success will no doubt be tied to the quality of the entire workforce which will largely depend on the quality of training received.

    The Executive Chairman said that the commission had prioritised the training of centre managers and administrators for effective service delivery.

    “As centre managers and administrators, you will be equipped with relevant skills and knowledge to carry out your duties efficiently.

    “Part of your duties and responsibilities as Training Centre Managers and Administrators (TCMAs) is to support the operational and technical wing of the census.

    “Through proper management and administration of these centres, you can track the operational activities at the training venues on real time basis,” he said.

    Kwarra said that the main objectives of the training are building the capacity of Training Centre Managers and Administrators (TCMAs) to support their roles and responsibilities.

    He, however, said that the centre managers were expected to provide pre-service orientation to TCMAs prior to their setting out to various training centres.

    He reiterated the imperatives of commitment by participants to achieve the objectives.

    He restated the Commission’s vision of the 2023 census being designed to produce accurate, reliable and acceptable census and inclusive, user-friendly census data.

  • Two million Nigerians needed to perform 2023 census – NPC

    Two million Nigerians needed to perform 2023 census – NPC

    The National Population Commission (NPC) says it will engage two million Nigerians to perform the 2023 census.

    Mr Ayodeji Ajayi, the Federal Commissioner, representing Ekiti in NPC, diaclosed this in Ado Ekiti on Thursday at a news conference to update the public on the proposed recruitment of adhoc staff for the exercise.

    Ajayi warned that any of the recruited staff found wanting before, during and after the exercise compromising the process would be held accountable alongside his guarantors.

    To make the recruitment gender sensitive, the Federal Government’s agency revealed that the NPC in Ekiti State would recruit a minimum of 40 per cent women as adhoc staff to prosecute the  exercise.

    Ajayi, a former Ekiti State Head of Service, said: “The commission will recruit adhoc staff in the neighbourhood of two milliion across the country for this exercise, this includes staff of NPC and the adhoc staff that will be trained and other professionals.

    “And any job-seeking youth, who participates in the exercise and performs well will be given certificate by the commission to enhance his employability.”

    He stated that the commission was targeting mainly workers in the state and federal civil services, as well as interested Nigerians, with proven integrity as adhoc staff, urging interested members to express their interests via 2023censusadhocrecruitment.nationalpopulation.gov.ng.

    Ajayi added that the NPC had taken proactive measures to prevent the exercise from being hijacked by unscrupulous elements, through ICT innovations that can safeguard the integrity of the national headcount.

    “Every enumeration area has been geo-coded that no staff can overlap. You can’t cross to other enumeration side to work with your gadgets.

    “The time frame for you to work  is also short that you can’t spend the entire day in a locality counting and once the button is pressed after counting, it is delivered in our Central Server.

    “What had given  rise to manipulation in the past is that papers were used, but we are using ICT gadgets. We have about 99 per cent assurance that manipulation will be curtailed.

    “Each staff will have a  guarantor and if you do anything wrong, the guarantors will be held responsible. To us in the commission, the quality of staff that will perform the census activities is very important.

    “Therefore having good knowledge of the content document, the technique and the organisation of the census process is key to the success of the 2023 population and housing census.

    “The President said he will leave a legacy of giving Nigeria workable population census and he is working the talk. He had instructed all security and government agencies that they should cooperate with us.

    “While a good recruitment exercise will not by itself necessarily guarantee a successful census, a  badly conducted recruitment process will inevitably lead to problems and increase the risk of unsuccessful census.

    “The launching of the E-recruitment portal for the 2023 census marks the beginning of the online recruitment process, whereby Nigerians from all demography and gender can hook onto the website that will be provided by the commission, to fill the online form and get themselves registered to be recruited.

    “Teachers in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions  are our primary target. Though, we have been using some lecturers in the university as professionals, but we need more, particularly specialists in Sociology, Statistics , Geography and Demography. University students, employed people ,job seekers and those that are ICT compliant can also apply”.

    He said the Commission had, during the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD), done a preliminary census about the number of inhabitants in every home, saying  that any alteration to the data will be challenged during the main census.

  • 2023 census to gulp N532.7 billion

    2023 census to gulp N532.7 billion

    The National Population Commission (NPC) has budgeted N532.7billion for the conduct of the 2023 National Housing and Population Census in April 2023.

    Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, the Chairman, NPC, said this at the 2023 budget defence before the Senate Committee on National Identity Card and NPC on Wednesday in Abuja.

    “Based on the budget for census, what we need to be able to complete the conduct of the census as well as the post enumeration survey and all other post census activities is a total of N532. 7billion.

    ”Aside from the N10 billion budget for 2023, the NPC earmarked the sum of N532.7 billion for conduct of 2023 Census.

    ”NPC is ready to re- write the history of census in Nigeria by making the 2023 one not only accurate, credible and reliable, but acceptable to all Nigerians,” he said.

    Kwarra said that the budget also covered the post enumeration survey for the census, saying that it would be a great departure from the past in terms of keying into the issue of climate change.

    He said that N206.85 billion was the approved budget of the commission in 2022, out which N107.7 billion was for capital expenditure, N615 million for overhead and N7.8 billion for personnel cost.

    Sen. Sahabi Ya’u, the Chairman of the Committee urged the NPC boss to furnish the committee with details of projects executed with the 2022 budget in contract with the 2023 budget.

  • Budget Defence: Reps query NPC over N1.9bn spent on summit, conferences

    Budget Defence: Reps query NPC over N1.9bn spent on summit, conferences

    The House of Representatives Committee on Population has queried the National Population Commission (NPC) over N 1.9 billion spent on presidential summit in villa and conferences organised across the country.

    The committee at the budget defence in Abuja on Wednesday challenged the NPC directors to make an oral presentation of the N1.9 billion expended for the summit and conferences.

    Gboluga Ikengboju (Ondo-APC) moved the motion for the NCP to go back and take a critical look at the discrepancies in the document they presented to the committee.

    According to him,  in view of the discrepancies that cannot be justified by the commission and the fact that the 2022 format cannot be accepted, we want the commission to go back and provide more detail.

    “We cannot be speculating over tax payers money. I hereby move that they should go back and tidy up these documents’,” he said.

    Rep. Ifeanyi Momah (PDP-Anambra), a member of the committee expressed worry over how N129 million was used for a one day seminar at the villa.

    He further asked if the money spent on the presidential summit held at the villa was meant only for the villa event or stakeholders conferences held in various states.

    The lawmaker also asked the commission why the N5 billion budgeted for the mock census did not reach the staff deployed for that purpose in Anambra.

    He said this was because some of the staff deployed to Anambra had to reach out to him and other stakeholders for financial support when the money budgeted for that purpose was not forthcoming.

    Momah said he along with other stakeholders had to bail the staff out, while calling on the commission to throw more light on what they used the money for.

    Reps Bamidele Salam (PDP-Osun) also asked why the money used at the villa for the summit was not captured in the 2022 budget.

    The committee however asked the commission to furnish the committee with expenditure pattern at the villa summit and the stakeholders conferences at the state level.

    The committee demanded to know how N5 billion was spent on the mock Census, while asking that NCP should provide the utilisation of the N1.9 billion spent by the commission.

    The committee gave the commission till Nov. 16 to give them a feedback and reconvened.

    The representative of NCP Chairman, Mr Bala Banye, Chairman, Finance and General Purpose Committee of the commission, had earlier posited that the money spent covered the summit and states conferences.

    He said the commission had documentary evidence how the money was spent, saying,  the understanding is that the summit was also done in all states of the Federation.

    Mrs Arinola Olanipekun, Director of Census, NCP, said the stakeholders workshop was to bring to Nigerian census 2023 instrument as to question and the nature of data that would be generated.

    She said it was also to meet the development of the country in order to seek Nigerians opinion on how to meet their needs.

    “The national stakeholders is very necessary and needed the buy in of the President, it added a lots of colour to it.

    She said the stakeholders conference was capture in the capital expenditure, adding that was meant to be a one day activity, stressing that the stakeholders meeting was captured in the 2022 budget.

    Mr Fagbemi Benjamin, NPC Director of Finance, who was put on oath by the committee said the money spent at the villa event was N129 million, adding that the remaining N1.2 billion was for the 36 states and FCT.

  • 2023: Let your campaigns be issues-based, Jonathan implores politicians

    2023: Let your campaigns be issues-based, Jonathan implores politicians

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on all candidates in the 2023 general elections to strive to make their campaigns issue-based, clean and violence-free.

    Jonathan made the call in his virtual goodwill message read on Thursday in Abuja at the signing of the first National Peace Accord on the 2023 general elections which was attended by presidential candidates and their parties.

    He also urged candidates, their promoters and supporters to exercise restraint and to run their campaigns based on issues that affected Nigerians.

    “We are at a critical stage in our national life where we have no choice but to promote national cohesion, love and hope in order to make the desired progress.

    “We cannot afford to continue to play politics of bitterness and division along ethnic and religious lines. This is because such kind of politics portends great danger to our unity, growth and the sustenance of our democracy.

    “We have to be mindful of the destructive impact of hate speech, fake news and mindless propaganda, especially in a clime where the fabric of unity and stability still needs to be strengthened.

    “I charge the candidates, their promoters and supporters to exercise restraint and seek to run their campaigns based on issues that affect our people.

    “They should, by all means, avoid needless attacks on personalities and use of abusive language for those are the elements that cause chaos and crisis during elections,’’ Jonathan said.

    He said that the task of ensuring peaceful elections in 2023 was our collective responsibility.

    Jonathan said that it behoved on the candidates and the leaders of the various parties to lead the process for peaceful elections in the country.

    He said that political stability and growth of democracy in any country were usually measured by the quality of elections.

    “In this regard, we expect our democracy to be consolidated in such a way that our electoral processes will be seen to record incremental progress at the end of every election cycle.

    “Unfortunately, this has not been the case, as there are signs of inconsistencies with the progress we make in our elections.

    “As citizens of this great country, we all have the responsibility to redirect our steps, strive to work harder and do the right things to avoid the stagnation of our democracy.’’

    Jonathan urged Nigeria to raise the bar in credible and transparent elections by ensuring that the country electoral processes were peaceful, free and fair.

    “Since I left office in 2015, I have been involved in the process of promoting democracy across Africa.

    “My experience as an election observer, having led observation missions to many countries, is that many African countries are working hard to improve their elections and deepen the roots of democracy in their land.

    “Many of us will recall that elections held recently in Kenya, Ghana and The Gambia and I am pleased that peaceful outcomes were recorded in those countries.

    “ In 2023, I expect our country to raise the bar for credible and transparent elections by ensuring that our electoral processes are peaceful, free and fair.“ he said.