NPC reads riot act against racketeers in census training programme

National Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC) in Kwara state, Alhaji Razaq Gidado, has said that the commission will not condone any act of extortion or racketeering in the process of applying for posts of supervisors or enumerators in the 2023 national population and housing census exercise.

Speaking with a cross-section of staff of the commission, trainees and trainers in Ilorin at the weekend, the NPC commissioner said that reports reaching his office had it that some people or groups of people have turned themselves to syndicates to extort money from innocent applicants.

He, therefore, warned that anyone caught in such act risks prosecution and that anyone found guilty would be convicted.

The NPC National Commissioner also advised would-be enumerators not to bribe or give gratification to any member of staff of the commission or any canvasser in the course of applying for the census assignment.

He assured all those that applied and qualified for the census job that they would be screened and engaged without favouritism.

A staff of the Ifelodun local government, Mr Adeyemi Jonathan, who reacted to the extortion allegation, said that there was no case of extortion in his area. Rather, he said that he only contacted some communities, which he said had promised to assist the commission to provide generating sets and fill them with petrol at night during the screening exercise.

Meanwhile, the state NPC Commissioner, Gidado has appealed to facilitators undergoing training to be patient over non-payment of their allowances and assured that the challenges would soon be addressed.

The facilitators expressed concern that since the 10-day training programme began on Friday, January 27, 2023, and ended on Sunday, January 5, 2023, they had not been paid their training allowance.

“Officials of NPC are working round the clock to ensure that the 2023 Population and Housing Census go on as scheduled.

“Supervisors and enumerators, who are presently being screened at their various local government areas and wards are expected to also undergo training for the head count which will hold between March 29 and April 2, 2023.

“The Population and Housing Census (PHC) is meant to provide key information about persons, households, buildings, and localities and also collect data on climate change in the country.

“The 2023 census is unique because it is the first time that Nigeria will be conducting a digital and paperless census, though the development of the latest technology in population data all over the country with the use of Personal Data Assistant (PDA)/ tablet”.

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