Census: NPC seeks journalists’ support for successful conduct

The National Population Commission (NPC) has solicited the support of journalists towards the successful conduct of the forthcoming 2023 population and housing census.

Addressing participants at a one-day capacity-building workshop, organised by the commission, in Ilorin, Kwara State, Abdulrazaq Folorunsho Gidado, the NPC’s federal commissioner, said that the synergy between the commission and the media had been cordial.

He said it was important for journalists to leverage the capacity-building workshop to improve the quality and quantity of media content on the 2023 population and housing census.

He said the workshop was organised to strengthen journalists’ understanding and application of basic concepts in census taking, neutralise negative prejudices, misperceptions and misrepresentations on the census exercise among sections of the Nigerian media, and update the journalists on the status of preparatory activities for the 2023 census.

Gidado, represented at the training by Zubair Olaitan, head of the technical department, said the 2023 census would be conducted in a ‘digital’ and ‘paperless’ form through the deployment of the latest technology in population data collection all over the country.

“Population and housing census is the foundation of statistical systems, providing benchmark statistics of a country’s population and housing stock, and baseline information to produce other statistics.

“To conduct the 2023 population and housing census, the commission is adopting the Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) data collection method which has largely reduced the use of paper forms, a major contributor to the environmental and climate impact on a census.

“All major questionnaires and several other forms are embedded in an android tablet called Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that will be used. These questionnaires will be administered in all living (dwelling) quarters and person resident in Nigeria at the time of the census using this android tablet device called Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

He said in supporting and collaborating with the United Nations, the commission has put necessary arrangements on the ground for a successful exercise.

Earlier, Saheed Yusuf, a director with NPC in Kwara State, said the commission realised the importance of the media practitioners in passing the message down to the grassroots and that informs the training.

Represented by Onigbolabi Joseph Sola, the head of human resources said that the commission would be conducting the first digital census in the country with a view of giving Nigerians and the world reliable, accurate, and acceptable data.