The National Population Commission (NPC) has allayed the fears that poor network connectivity in most rural communities would hamper the conduct of census exercises in Enugu State.
Some stakeholders, particularly traditional rulers in had expressed concerns that the absence or poor internet connectivity would deny their people the right to be counted as Nigerians during the census exercise.
But addressing the stakeholders of Udenu, Igbo-Eze North and Uzo Uwani local government areas in Enugu North senatorial district to brainstorm on the importance of the census and how to achieve success during the trial census exercise, the NPC federal commissioner, representing Enugu State, Hon Ejike Eze said the commission had been taken care the situation.
According to Eze, the NPC is prepared to prepare to conduct a credible and acceptable census, using the ongoing trial census in Enugu State as a springboard.
He said that NPC had intensified preparatory activities for the successful conduct of the first digital census in Nigeria.
Eze said the stakeholders’ engagement was to seek the support of the whole community towards achieving good results during the trial and general census exercise.
He said the commission is working hard to ensure that they get accurate data, stressing that accurate data would help in proper planning for development across the country.
“We are here to interact with the stakeholders of the Senatorial zone and seek the support of everyone in the zone to carry out the trial Census exercise diligently. The interaction will allow us to be in the right direction during the trial census.
“Census is important, it brings development and any country that wants to progress must have data and our National Chairman deemed it necessary to conduct census with accurate and acceptable data,” he said.
The chairmen of the host council, Udenu council, Solomon Onah lauded the effort of NPC so far to conduct a credible and acceptable census.
Onah, represented by Deputy Chairman of Uzo Uwani, Chief Pius Okeagu on behalf of other chairmen assured the support of council areas during the trial census exercise.
They urged all the stakeholders to take the message home and educate their wards on the importance of the census, urging them to welcome the enumerators coming for the exercise and work with them.