By Ere Robinson Erebi
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Executive Chairman of the National Population Commission Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra has stated that the federal government is committed to make the 2023 Census a resounding success through rigorous planning and use of International best practices at every stage of the process.
Hon. Kwarra made the statement while presenting a keynote address at the Master Trainers Workshop for the Post Enumeration Survey (PES) for the Trial Census of the 2023 Population and Housing Census in Abuja.
Hon. Kwarra who was ably represented at the occasion by the Honourable Federal Commissioner representing Edo State in the National Population Commission Dr. Tony Ayejina, said that the conduct of the Post Enumeration Survey is an integral part of the census process for which the Commission places much importance.
He therefore appealed to Nigerians to join the Commission in their bid to give our dear country, reliable demographic data through the forthcoming 2023 census, stressing that our population remains the greatest asset in national development and it must be harnessed in order to make life worth living for our people.
Hon. Kwarra explained that errors are inevitable in a large-scale data collection exercise such as a Census.
“Errors can arise from many sources in the conduct of the census especially in field data collection and processing procedures. Census designs can also be a source of error by introducing measurement errors through wrong questionnaires, instructions, training materials, and procedures for data collection. The PES has therefore been designed to redress these possible errors in the census process”
“As you know, a Population census is the official enumeration of all persons in a country at a specific time. This encompasses the collection, compilation, evaluation, analysis, publication and dissemination of demographic, social and economic statistics relating to the population”, he said
According to the Executive Chairman of the National Population Commission, the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, define the Post Enumeration Survey as a complete re‐enumeration of a representative sample of a Census population followed by matching each individual enumerated in the PES with information from the Census enumeration.
In essence, it has become very important to conduct PES to give credibility to the census results and engender confidence of census data users.
“For many developing countries, the Post Enumeration Survey (PES) has become a plausible independent evaluation programme mainly used to measure coverage and content error in the context of the Census. This is a normal practice for any Census taking”.
As the Commission intensifies its preparation for a credible 2023 census, the Commission places high premium on the PES. Towards this end, the Commission has constituted an independent Team saddled with responsibility to prepare and conduct 2022 Trial PES.
Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra also used the occasion to express appreciation to the UNFPA Chief Technical Adviser Dr. Collins Opiyo, Director Census Mrs. Evelyn Arinola Olanikpekun, Census Manager Dr. Inuwa Bakari Jalingo and other members of the PES team for a job well done within the 5 Months of their inauguration, believing that the Team will conduct an error free PES.
Hon. Kwarra emphasized that the Commission has painstakingly selected the Facilitators that are being trained as Master Trainers, and implored all functionaries to pay attention to the technical details and lessons, so that they can understand all that the PES Team would be teaching them within the period of the workshop, stressing that the quality of their training at the State level will determine quality of the Trial PES outcome in 6 LGAs of the 6 States where the PES is take place.
“In its bid to strive for demographic excellence, the Commission has spared no expense in the training and equipping of its ranks with the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake the 2023 PES. At this very moment, all of you here represent the foundation of the 2023 PES. Adopting the slogan for the PES, “Zero Tolerance for Error”
“I encourage and charge you all to take this Training Of Trainer session as a National assignment with the utmost seriousness, as you will be charged with the solemn duty of stepping down and impacting this knowledge to the six States at State level where the PES will take place”.
“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. We have the clear vision, commitment and professional capacity to deliver on this historic mandate”, he said.
