NPC TO CARRY OUT TRIAL CENSUS IN 9 IMO LGAs

REPORTER: UGONNA AGU

The National Population Commission (NPC) says it is putting all modalities in place for the trial census slated for June 2022.

The Federal Commissioner in charge of Imo State, Professor Uba Nnabue, stated this in an interview with Radio Nigeria in Owerri.

Prof. Nnanbue explained that the trial census was to check the functionality of all the facilities and instruments to be used for the main census in 2023.

“We want to try out facilities, instruments, the systems we intend to use, the ICT we put in place and see how effective they will be.

“How the people will respond, the personnel we will employ if they will be enough, so that if there are shirt comings, we will have the opportunity of making amendment and ensuring that at the census proper, it will flow,” he said.

Prof. Nnabue said the mock census would be conducted in 9 Local Government Areas with three LGAs in each of the three Senatorial zones of the state.

According to the NPC Commissioner, the commission had recruited 90 enumerators to cover five communities in each of the 9 trial LGAs of Ohaji Egbema, Oguta, Orlu, Onuimo, Obowo, Isiala Mbano, Ikeduru, Aboh Mbaise and Ngor-okpoalla.

“It is important we know how many we are so that for whatever projections we have be it development or elections or any other desire, the better for everybody.

“Census slogan is you count, be counted. If everybody is counted and the population of Imo State goes up as it should be, the dividends of democracy will go up. Any advantage from this elections, we must get it,” he pointed out.

Prof. Nnabue while revealing that the census would be paperless, affirmed that the figures generated from the exercise would not be part of the main census figures.

He therefore called on the media to help in sensitizing the people to take active part in the exercise, to aid proper planning for sustainable development of the state and the country.