NPC IS REVIEWING CENSUS PROCESSES — DARLING OKEREKE

REPORTER: AMECHI ODO

The National Population Commission (NPC) says it is currently reviewing the processes and systems put in place for the postponed National Census to ensure that they do not become obsolete for the exercise when it takes off.

The Federal Commissioner incharge of Ebonyi State, Chief Darlington Okereke, made this known while interacting with Media Executives on the talking points over the postponed exercise in Abakaliki.

He noted that the measure was to ensure that all the resources expended so far for the Census were safeguarded so that the nation would not need to start all over when the exercise would be conducted.

“Conscious of the enormous human and material resources that have been expended in the implementation of these preparatory activities, the most important task before the Commission is to sustain and reinforce the relevance of these activities to the successful conduct of the 2023 Census.

“This will ensure that the nation does not have to start afresh with the preparations for the conduct of the census thereby saving cost,” the Federal Commissioner said.

Chief Okereke said that the data base of about one million adhoc staff recruited, including their contact details, were intact for the next Census while about five hundred thousand configured Personal Digital Assistance acquired for the Census had been delivered to the 36 states offices of the Commission.

“Adequate arrangements have been made for the storage and security of the equipment to prevent damage and theft.

“In readiness for the Census, the Commission had carried out massive advocacy and publicity at the national and state level,” he noted.

He assured the people of Ebonyi State that the Commission was committed to the conduct of a credible census that would meet international standards whenever the President proclaimed a new date for the exercise.

It can be recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari had approved that the National Population and Housing Census be conducted between 3rd and 7th of May but later called it off to allow the new administration to make inputs and complete the process.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU