The Executive Chairman National Population Commission, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra has said that his Commission postponed the proposed May 2023 National Population and Housing Census to ensure acceptability and ownership by the incoming administration of President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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NPC Executive Chairman Hon. Nasir Isa kwarra
Hon. Kwarra disclosed this during an advocacy visit to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the Government house in Ilorin.
“After the commission completed the pre-census exercise and informed number one citizen, President Muhammadu Buhari, we were told to put it on hold, said this is a transition period, we should allow the incoming administration to be the one to carry it out to ensure acceptability and ownership”.
“The commission however, would continue with some other activity that would aid the success of the exercise anytime it is coming up, such as advocacy campaigns”, he said.
According to him, all technologies to be deployed for the exercise have been tested including GPS and satellite for the digital maps to be used for the census.
Hon. Nasir Kwarra also said that every building in the country has been physically demarcated except for migrant farmers and mentally challenged citizens of the country.
The NPC chairman emphasized that 30 percent of those who applied for the census exercise, were recruited from the localities to ensure smooth operation and execution of the project.
He also reiterated his assurance that the 2023 population and housing census will be different from the previous exercises, stressing that necessary mechanisms has been put in place to monitor the conduct of staff to ensure accuracy and efficiency to mitigate litigations at the end of the exercise.
The chairman then expressed appreciation to the Kwarra State Government for supporting the commission and solicited continued support to ensure the overall success of the exercise.
In his response, the Deputy Governor of Kwarra State Mr. Kayode Alabi, who received the NPC Chairman on behalf of the Governor, described census as very important tool for the overall development of Nigeria, including sharing of resources to geo-political zones of the country.
Also speaking, the Federal Population Commissioner representing Kwara State in the National Population Commission, Abdulrazaq Folorunsho Gidado, thanked the State Government for its continued support to the Commission.
The chairman alongside the other management team of NPC also paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Ilorin Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari CFR at his palace where the monarch was decorated as Census Ambassador.
Recall that the Kwara State Census Publicity Committee, headed by the deputy governor, Kayode Alabi, had on Wednesday paid an advocacy visit to the Emir of Ilorin and Olupo of Ajase Ipo as part of the ongoing advocacy campaign in the State.
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