President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged officials of the National Population Commission (NPC) to justify the confidence the government reposed in the commission to give the nation accurate, verifiable and dependable data from the 2023 national census.
The first phase of the census, which involves the trial house, listing and house numbering, started yesterday in select local government areas across the country.
The President was accredited during the trial at his country home in Daura, Katsina State.
A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said President Buhari hailed the NPC team, led by its Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, for starting well.
“I am happy you have started the process, and congratulations. I know this will require a lot of time, skill and stamina,” President Buhari told the team.
After the digital capturing, the chairman explained the modalities and technicalities of the Population and Housing Census to the President.
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Kwarra said President Buhari had been designated number one on the list, from Daura, and his house was also the first.
The chairman said the trial started with the President, following the conclusion of the training of the field functionaries for the Trial Census.
The field functionaries, he said, began the fieldwork of the Trial Census from yesterday and will continue till July 30, 2022 in the selected Enumeration Areas and Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The Trial Census shall cover 7,681 Enumeration Areas (EAs) in the 36 states and the FCT. Six local government areas have been selected from the six selected states in the six geo-political zones of the country for full population enumeration while 45 EAs in nine LGAs cutting across three senatorial districts were selected from each of the thirty States and the FCT for enumeration,” he said.
The Trial Census fieldwork includes building numberings and household listing from July 13 to 15, 2022; validation of EA frame from July 16 to 18, 2022; person’s enumeration from July 19 to 25, 2022; and enumeration mop-up from July 26 to 30, 2022.
Also, the NPC yesterday said it would recruit 3 million people as ad hoc workers for the 2023 population census.
NPC National Commissioner representing Kaduna State, Dr. Abdulmalik Durunguwa, announced this at a town hall meeting on the trial census in Kafanchan.