Metro

NPC meets Jigawa journalists, gives update on 2023 census

National Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC) in charge of Kano and Jigawa, Alhaji Garba Zakar has said the processes for the 2023 census were being reviewed in order to ensure the preparation does not become obsolete.

The NPC state Director in Jigawa, Ibrahim Iro, made this known during a breakfast meeting on the 2023 Population and Housing Census (PHC) with the media in Dutse.

The director insisted that the postponement of the 2023 PHC would yield result contrary to the negative impression that the postponement might affect the successful conduct of the exercise.

“The objective of the breakfast meeting is therefore to update the media executives on the status of preparations for the 2023 Census and the next steps forward in the light of the postponement of the Census.

“As you are aware, the commission has carried out all the preparatory activities towards the Census such as Enumeration Area Demarcation, conduct of pre- test and trial Census, recruitment and training of Census field staff, procurement and configuration of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), establishment of ICT infrastructure across the country and logistics support and advocacy and publicity activities, ” the director said.

Iro said that the commission was not just looking at the immediate need of delivering the next Census but concerned more with laying a solid foundation for future censuses.

He also announced that the commission had acquired Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) for the 2023 Census, adding that no fewer than 500,000 of these devices had been delivered to the 36 states and the FCT after being configured.

“In readiness for the census, the commission had carried out massive advocacy and publicity for the 2023 Census at national and state levels.

“Media campaign was intensified while collaboration with stakeholders was strengthened through the inauguration of Census publicity committees at national and LGAs,” the director said.

Iro, therefore, called on the media to continue to intensify their efforts toward achieving a credible and acceptable head count.

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