Nasir Isa Kwarra, the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), stated that the Commission’s management has vowed to avoid the traps that have slowed past Censuses done in Nigeria by implementing current digital technologies in the upcoming Population and Housing Census in 2023.
Kwarra said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the National Level Training of Training Centre Managers and Administrators (TCMA) for the 2023 Population and Housing Census, explaining that scientific planning and advanced digital technologies would be used to achieve an accurate and reliable census this year.
He stated that the Commission was firmly committed to rewriting the history of censuses in Nigeria through through the conduct of accurate, reliable and acceptable Population and Housing Census.
He said: “Let me use this opportunity to assure Nigerians that the National Population Commission is irrevocably committed to positively rewrite the history of censuses in Nigeria and deliver to this great nation accurate and reliable census data.
“Preparations for the 2023 Population and Housing Census are on course and the Commission is confident that the prospect for an accurate and reliable census appears brighter than ever.
“This optimism is rooted in the fact that the present Commission has taken time to identify and deliberate on issues that stalled past censuses and have resolved to avoid those pitfalls through the adoption of scientific planning and modern digital technology.”
Kwarra, to therefore appealed to Nigerians to support the Commission in achieving this lofty objective.
“I therefore appeal to Nigerians to join the Commission in the bid to give our dear country accurate and reliable data through the forthcoming 2023 Population and Housing Census.
“In addition, there is the need for a shift in national attitude that sees census data as a tool for seeking economic and political advantages.
“Rather, we must strive to discover the real essence of the census data as a treasure of information and compass in the effort to build and plan a greater and prosperous Nigeria.
“Our vision of the 2023 census has been designed to produce not only accurate, reliable and acceptable census but also an inclusive and user-friendly census data.
“This desire has informed the scope and quality of preparations made for the census thus far.
“Census is a national event and is the responsibility of every citizen to participate by presenting themselves to be counted.
“The Commission will no doubt, need the support of all stakeholders to deliver to the country a credible and reliable data it can use for sustainable development planning,” he said.
While commenting on the essence of the training workshop, the NPC boss said the Commission has fully adopted the Training Centre Management and Administration approach to coordinate and manage training activities in over 35,000 classes during the period of the census and at different levels.
He explained that Census training centres are unique, as they are structured to provide distinctive learning experiences that will shape the proficiency of the Census Workforce to deliver on their assigned duties and responsibilities in line with the Commission’s goal of generating credible, reliable and acceptable data for development planning purposes.
He, however, noted that the success of “every project is 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, 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.”
He pointed out that the Commission had prioritised the training of centre managers and administrators for effective service delivery, while urging them to submit themselves to learning.
In his remarks, the Federal Commissioner representing Cross River State in the NPC, Charles Iyam Ogwa, tasked the participants to take the workshop seriously for them to succeed in the discharge of their duties.
Ogwa reiterated that without quality personnel, the Commission would not generate quality data for planning and national development.
