By Robinson Erebi
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Executive Chairman of the National Population Commission Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra has assured Nigerians that the 2023 Population and Housing Census Census results will be released up to the lowest level of the census entities which could be as small as a camp.
Hon. Kwarra gave the assurance while delivering his address at a workshop on “National Compendium of Localities” organized by the National Population Commission in collaboration with other National Stakeholders in Karu Nasarawa State on 24th October 2022, to finalize and present to the grassroots, the final list of localities for the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
According to the Executive Chairman, the objective of this very important National Compendium of Localities Workshop is to compile all the localities demarcated during the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) on Local Government Area basis showing the coverage and location on interactive maps.
“This compilation will be presented to the Local Government Area stakeholders in the States at another workshop. The soft copy of the Locality list will also be given to the Local Government Chairmen”.
“The Compendium of locality in Census taking is a tool for Census data dissemination as well as for National planning and development”, he said
Hon. Nasir Kwarra explained that the EAD exercise collected data on all localities with a standard definition of locality as a distinct population cluster (also designated as inhabited place, populated center, settlement, etc, in which the inhabitants live in neighbouring sets of living quarters, has a name or a locally recognized status, stressing that these also includes fishing camps, hamlets, mining camps, ranches, farms, market towns, villages, towns, cities and many other population clusters that meet the specified criteria.
He disclosed that wards, quarters or housing estates within a town or city were not regarded as a locality, stressing that fragmentation of Localities may hinder the rapid development of an LGA as major developmental intervention programmes by government and non-governmental organizations work along the path of population.
“It should be noted that more Localities do not translate to higher population for the LGA”.
“The Localities after due presentation and validation by Stakeholders will be compiled into a National Compendium with requisite parameters such as names of localities taking into consideration the right spellings, Centroid coordinates of Populated locality area will be appended, Tertiary, Secondary, Primary and Sub-primary locality types, and Locality classification”.
“A six strata of Urban/Rural Spectrum of locality will be appended according to a ‘Fact Analysis’ done by the Cartography department”.
“The Compendium of locality which will be presented to the President before the 2023 Population and Housing Census will be approved with the consensus of stakeholders as the Gazetteer of Place Names for the Country”.
“With the huge resources that the Government has expended on the EAD, we are happy that the National Population Commission has acquired a lot of data sets that will be useful for National development”, he said.
Hon. Kwarra also commended the Cartography Department for their efforts to deliver more data for the locality level from the Enumeration Area Demarcation, stressing that the present Commission under his leadership is devoted to collaboration and partnership with relevant agencies to advance national development.
He, therefore, implored all participants at the workshop, especially participants from sister agencies namely, National Bureau of Statistics, Office of Secretary to Government of the Federation, National Orientation Agency, GRID3, NIPOST and others to work with the Commission to achieve excellent result that will add more value to socio-economic development of our nation.
“I wish to use this opportunity to assure Nigerians that the Commission is irrevocably committed to positively rewrite the history of censuses in Nigeria and deliver to this great nation accurate, reliable and acceptable census that will be purposefully relevant in the drive towards sustainable national development. Preparations for the 2023 Population and Housing Census are on course and the Commission is confident that the prospect for an accurate and reliable census appears brighter than ever”.
“I appeal to Nigerians to join the Commission in the bid to give our dear country, reliable demographic data through the forthcoming 2023 census. This is because our population remains the greatest asset in national development and it must be harnessed in order to make life worth living for our people”.
“Getting the 2023 Population and Housing Census right is a task that must be done, and the Commission is committed to ensuring that everything about the census is done rightly and professionally”, he said.
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