Census postponement gives chance to perfect processes — FCT commissioner

A commissioner with the National Population Commission (NPC), Mr Joseph Shazin Kwali, has said the postponement of the 2023 house census exercise by the immediate past administration has given the commission the opportunity to further prefect its processes and system for conduct of the first ever digital census in the country.

Kwali, while speaking during breakfast meeting for media executives on the 2023 population and housing census in Abuja, on Wednesday, noted that the postponement was a welcome idea, adding that the it would give the present administration the opportunity to have its input into the process.

According to him, the commission has carried out all the preparatory activities towards the census such as Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) conduct of pre -test and trial census, recruitment and training of census field staff, procurement and configuration of personal digital assistant among others.

He disclosed that about 14, 969 ad hoc staff and supervisors were recruited. trained by the commission in preparedness for the 2023 census exercise in the FCT.

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Kwali, however, said that the commission was quite conscious of the enormous human /material resources, which he said has been expended in the implementation of the preparatory activities of the exercise in the FCT.

In his remark, the Deputy Director of Information and Communication to the FCTA, Mohammed Hamzat Sule, while commending the FCT NPC commissioner, Joseph Shazin for his efforts towards  collaborating with the media to sensitize residents of the territory especially rural dwellers on the importance of the 2023 census.

He called on media organizations on the need to continue to sensitize the public of the significance of the house census exercise, even as he informed the commission that the FCT permanent secretary, Adesola Olusade has pledged his support to the commission anytime the exercise will commence in the FCT.