Census: FG creates specific questionnaire category for diplomats

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The Federal Government through the National Population Commission(NPC) has disclosed that it has created a specific category for the diplomatic community in the upcoming census questionnaire to ensure that diplomats are correctly identified and enumerated.

The Chairman of NPC, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra while briefing the diplomatic community in Abuja on the 2023 National Population and Housing Census, assured Foreign diplomats that Commission will ensure that the information provided by diplomats is kept confidential and is not shared with other government agencies or third parties.

The Chairman also disclosed that the questionnaire provides multilingual support as diplomats come from a variety of countries and speak a range of languages.

“The Commission hopes to liaise with Foreign Affairs Ministry for multilingual support to ensure that diplomats can understand and respond to the questionnaire in their own language.

“Census enumerators will be trained on how to identify and enumerate diplomats to ensure consistency and accuracy in the data collected.”

The Chairman also disclosed that there will be restrictions on movement during the census to control individual movement so as to allow enumerators to meet households in their residences

“Restriction of movement is often considered as important during enumeration to enhance full coverage of the population. This measure will go a long way to control individual mobility and as such, enumerators are able to meet the households in their residences.

“Restriction also helps to check double enumeration as it reduces chances of persons moving from one location to another to present themselves for enumeration more than once.

“The National Population Commission plans to request the Federal Government of Nigeria for restriction of movement during the first 3 days of Census enumeration.

“For the 2023 Population and Housing Census, it is scheduled that the first 3 days of enumeration fall on weekdays preferably, Wednesday to Friday so that enumeration can be rounded up in the last two days at the weekend.

“However, Diplomats and all that is on essential duties are to be exempted from restrictions,” he added.

Isa-Kwarra reiterated that the Commission is committed to ensuring that the results of the census are acceptable to Nigerians and the quality of the data to be generated meets international best standards for planning and developmental purposes.

“In line with the United Nations principles and recommendations for the 2020 rounds of Population and Housing Censuses, the 2023 Census will be fully digital and the Commission has deployed technology to conduct the exercise and enhance data quality.”

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