2023 Census: NPC Organizes One-Day Capacity Building For Journalists In Ekiti Ahead Of Exercise 

By Olanrewaju Falayi.

The National Population Commission (NPC) has organized a one day capacity building workshop for Journalists in Ekiti State on the effective reporting of the forth coming 2023 Population And Housing Census.

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The one-day capacity building workshop was organised for the representatives of media organizations that are based in Ekiti State and was held at the NUJ Press Centre, Oke Ori-Omi in Ado Ekiti. 

In an address, Federal Commissioner of NPC, for Ekiti state, Mr Ayodeji Ajayi, said the workshop was aimed at improving and widening the knowledge and understanding of journalists on the basic issues involved in the Census exercise.

“The Commission in it’s mission of delivering an accurate census to Nigerians, it held a strategic partnership with the media which will form the tripod upon which the census architecture will stand to reach out to the Nigerian people”.

Ayodeji, stressed the need for journalists to use their various media outfits in projecting the level of NPC’s preparedness towards ensuring a hitch free census.

The Federal Commissioner who noted that the NPC had started preparations many years ago, said Census 2023 will be digitally based.

Also speaking, the State Director of National Population Commission in Ekiti State, Mr Adebola Richard, said the essence of the 2023 population and housing census was basically planning. 

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He pointed out that the primary objective of EAD is to delineate enumeration areas in the country to facilitate the smooth enumeration of inhabitants during the enumeration period.

Adebola added that, “if we can get it right through adequate data, added that this Country will fly”.

This time around it would be different a little bit from the one we held in 2006. 

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The Ekiti NPC Director explained that, in the past, it has always been a form of manual but that, the one coming up will be 100% digitalized. This time around we are having what we called; ‘Computer Assisted Personal Interview’.

“One of the reasons why we need this 2023 census exercise is because we don’t have adequate data and by the time we live on the 2006 data, definitely, the errors merging will be higher. So this time around it has a lot of advantages.

“It would also be easier for us to have a good template of addresses system. This activities has to be accepted before, during and after and that means we must all be on the same page,” the Director said.

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Adebola, added that some activities have been implemented and they include, Mapping and Enumeration area demarcation, Development of Census Questionnaire, Conduct of Pretests, Conduct of Trial Census, Census Methodology, Compilation of Historical Events, Identification and Mapping of Special Population, Recruitment and Training of Census functionaries and Support of Development Partners.

One of the staff of NPC, Mrs Yemisi Ipinlaye, stated “that Census taking is a people-oriented exercise, therefore getting the people involved to participate will be regarded as paramount to its overall success”. 

Adebola however opined that in Nigeria, the conduct of population censuses over the years has been fraught with many challenges due to the perception of many people as to what a population census is or is not.

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“The outcome of a population census in terms of size, has always thrown up heated exchanges between the various groups within the polity thereby adversely affecting the growth and development process of the Country because the use of such data for planning for national development is always underplayed”.

Mrs. Falope Titilayo, the Head of ICT Department of the NPC noted that the 2023 Population and Housing Census (PHC) will be Nigeria’s first digital census. Innovative digital tools and technology have been already used in the preparatory activities for the Census.

“The adoption and deployment of these digital technology as highlighted in line with UN Principles and recommendations will engender confidence in the entire Census process, thereby ensuring that the Census data produced is reliable and accepted for use in development planning for the country”, she said.

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Falope stressed that the census will be done through digital tools aids processed for the 2023 .

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