MARCH 2023 CENSUS: NPC SOLICITS MEDIA ASSISTANCE IN ABIA

RRPORTER: JOHN MADUAGWU

The National Population Commission (NPC) has solicited the continued support of journalists in ensuring the success of the forthcoming 2023 Population and Housing Census.

The Federal Commissioner representing Abia State in NPC, Chief Johnny Nwabuisi, made the call in a message to a one day capacity building workshop for journalists on effective reporting of the 2023 population and housing census.

Represented by the State Director of the agency in Abia, Mrs. Juliana Ezebuiro, Chief Nwabuisi said the commission was fully prepared to conduct the first paperless census using advanced technological tools and called for support of the media in encouraging the people to embrace the exercise.

He lamented that the challenges witnessed in the 2016 exercise had adversely affected Abia State and called for massive participation even from agitators.

Chief Nwabuisi explained that the programme was aimed at enlightening journalists on all the work that has gone into preparing for the census to enable them to better inform their readers and listeners on the need to remove any doubts and misconceptions and be counted during the exercise.

In some presentations, the Head, Public Affairs Department of NPC in Abia State, Mrs. Josephine Ucheji, and her counterpart in the Technical Department, Mr. Uduma Ukpai, gave a historical account of census exercises carried out in Nigeria and the high level of preparation for this year’s event to ensure a high level of accuracy.

They called on the state government and other relevant stakeholders, including traditional rulers, to show more interest in the exercise coming up on March 29, 2023 to ensure that accurate figures were obtained for the benefit of the state.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU