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Tag: NPC

  • NPC begins area demarcation

    NPC begins area demarcation

    The National Population Commission (NPC) has begun the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) for Mushin.

    The exercise, which started on Monday at the Mushin Local Government Secretariat Multipurpose hall on Palm Avenue, will last for six weeks.

    NPC Federal Commissioner for Lagos State Mrs Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin described exercise as a watershed in the history of population and housing census preparation in Lagos.

    She said: “Of course, this will not be the first time NPC will be carrying out demarcation… but the main reason for the fresh exercise is to take advantage of the latest development in information and communication facilities and equipment.”

    According to her, EAD is the division of the whole country into small land areas that can be conveniently covered by two enumerators during the census.

    “EAD is the foundation on which the census enumeration is built and once this assignment is properly and soundly built, then all other censal activities will be on solid foundation,” she said.

    “As you are aware, population census is the enumeration of all persons residing in a country or a well-defined geographic unit at a given time…

    “To us at the commission, getting this EAD exercise right is not an option but an absolute necessity as the commission is determined to deliver to the nation an accurate, reliable and acceptable census. It is in this regard that the commission is leaving no stone unturned in order to ensure that this EAD for the next census is carried out professionally, scientifically and meticulously,” she added.

    Mrs Salu-Hundeyin, however, clarified that EAD is not the enumeration of persons living in the country, adding that its outcome will not determine the population of any community, local government or state.

     

  • 2016 census: NPC begins area demarcation in Kwara

    Ahead of the 2016 national census, the National Population Commission (NPC) on Monday commenced enumeration and area demarcation in Kwara State.

    NPC kicked off the exercise in lsin Local government area of the state.

    Speaking at the event, the NPC federal commissioner in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Ndakene, said the commission would be meticulous in carrying out the exercise.

    Ndakene said the exercise constitutes the foundation on which the entire census architecture relied upon.

    He said the commission is committed to getting the exercise right by delivering an accurate, reliable and acceptable census for the country.

    He urged the 16 local government councils in the state, traditional institution and communities to support the commission in carrying out the exercise

     

  • NPC releases survey against early marriage

    NPC releases survey against early marriage

    The National Population Commission (NPC) has submitted the 2014 Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) survey with a call on the need to discourage early marriage as majority of the deaths occur among parents who married early with little or no education.

    The survey, which was conducted by the commission in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Health and the National Bureau of Statistics, shows that the north recorded the highest number of home assisted deliveries with 73 percent as against 24 percent in the south.

    The survey, which also revealed that more than 57 percent of the neonatal deaths occurred at home, put the figure of such deaths which occurred during the first week of life at 72 percent and 79 percent in the northern and southern region respectively.

    Speaking in Abuja yesterday at the public presentation of the report of the survey, Chairman of the commission, Chief Eze Duruiheoma, described the data as wide-ranging, which he noted, offers significant insights into the causes and circumstances of child mortality in Nigeria.

     

    “The report has shown clearly that some of the causes of the deaths are preventable through proper intervention programs that will among other things, improve access to health-care services, improved sanitation and access to reproductive health services.”While calling for a deep reflection and wide ranging health and social reforms on the report by planners at national, state and local government levels, the NPC boss expressed hope that the step would reduce child mortality and improve the living conditions of the people.

  • AMSCO, NPC partner to boost enterprise development

    With the understanding that Nigerian businesses, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) require the capacity to engage at global levels, a conference was held in Lagos by African Management Services Company, AMSCO in collaboration with the National Planning Commission of Nigeria, NPC, to sensitize the Nigerian private sector about developing management capacity and expertise. AMSCO is a private sector development organisation that provides integrated human capital development solutions to private and public businesses across sub-Saharan Africa and  has evolved to become the leading advisory solutions provider; working to address the issue of market systems and capacity failures through management and skills development. The Organisation implements the African Training and Management Services (ATMS) Project of the United Nations Development Programme.

    The conference was to generate home-grown solutions to help address challenges like access to finance, shortage of skills, market access and a general enabling environment hindering their development and global attractiveness and to open up opportunities for dialogue and collaboration with key players.

    Speaking at the conference, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director AMSCO, Mr Paul Malherbe stated three key issues that require special attention for Nigeria to reach its private sector development agenda, they include ;a change of focus from youth education to youth entrepreneurship, increased interventions that promote gender empowerment and directly developing SMEs with limited skills.

    His words: “Most Africans SMEs are faced with growth challenges because there is a dependency on large company or cooperates to educate them. Our business landscape can only improve if we don’t wait but rather place our lens on collaborations to develop human capital at SME level, matching the right skills to the right jobs, training the management of those businesses and helping them access financial capital to reinvent themselves, this is our core focus at AMSCO” said Malherbe.

    Also at the conference was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Mr Emefiele who underscored the crucial role that Nigerian enterprises play in the growth and sustenance of the Nigerian economy.He called on various stakeholders to take an active role in capacitating the private sector. “Promoting increased foreign direct investment and other capital inflows through policies that will attract foreign investors and strengthening the DFIs to promote affordable and long-term finance is required.”

    The, Executive Secretary of the NPC Mr Bassey Akpanyung emphasized that Nigeria is not unmindful of challenges in the Nigerian business environment. He said the rate of economic growth and development of any nation is functionally related to its infrastructure. “This informed the decision of Government to bring on board the 30 year National Master Plan in collaboration with the private sector aimed at addressing these gaps” he said.

    Participants at the conference agreed that building capacity for the private sector remains an indispensable step for Nigerian enterprises to be globally competitive and sustainable. Leaders of private and public businesses, senior government officials, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and donors were present.

    Further insights and recommendations were shared through two panel discussions, interrogating issues of access to finance and building capacity for sustainable growth.

    The conference was themed Accelerating Enterprise Growth and Competitiveness in Nigeria- Building Capacity for sustainable Development.

  • NPC mulls biometric-based population census

    •Seeks NIMC’s collaboration on data harmonisation

    The National Population Commission (NPC) has said it is proposing a biometric-based census next year that will link demographics with biometric particulars of all residents.

    Its Chairman, Chief Eze Duruiheoma (SAN) who spoke during the visit of the management team of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) led by its Director-General, Mr Chris Onyemenam in his office in Abuja, described the visit of NIMC’s chief as timely, adding that its management had discussed the need for the two agencies to collaborate at its meetings the previous week.

    He said: “The issue of NPC/NIMC collaboration has been a topical issue within our commission. This matter was in the front burner in our deliberations during our meeting of two weeks ago and I actually set up a committee to commence preparatory works in this respect.”

    He said the mandates of the NPC were clearly spelt out in Section 24 of the 3rd schedule of the 1999 Constitution. This includes among others, to undertake periodic enumeration of population through sample surveys and census and to establish and maintain machinery for continuous and universal registration of births and deaths throughout the federation.

    Onyemenam called for collaborative effort with the NPC to ensure seamless data harmonisation as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to all government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

    Speaking during a courtesy visit to the NPC’s office in Abuja, NIMC’s Director-General, said his visit to was pursuant to the implementation of the presidential directive.

    He said the directive by President Buhari that agencies and departments concerned with the collection and storage of the various biometric databases and ongoing data collection and harmonisation was the primary reason for the visit.

    Onyemenam gave a background of previous futile efforts at National Identity Management (NIM) in Nigeria which ultimately led to the establishment of the NIMC in 2007, stressing the distinctions between the roles of the NIM and the NPC. He identified the areas where the activities of both commissions converge, which he said led to the inclusion of a representative of the NPC on the board of the NIMC. He also gave a historical background into previous attempts by NIMC and NPC to further broaden collaboration.

    As a way forward to the collaborations, Chief Duruiheoma proposed the setting up of an Inter-Agency Committee to midwife the NPC/NIMC collaboration within a defined timeline.

    But reacting to NPC chief\s suggestion, Onyemenam said NIMC already had in place a harmonisation committee comprising of representatives of the various MDAs and security formations concerned with citizens data collection and usage, the committee meets regularly and has made several headways in the area of harmonisation with NIMC’s infrastructure.

    He suggested that the NPC could look into the mandate and objectives of the Harmonisation Committee and see where it meets with its own objectives, in the interest of national planning and in line with President Buhari’s directive.

    The meeting ended with both Commissions expressing willingness to look into the issues raised and engaging further in the coming days.

     

  • Buhari orders reduction in 2016 Budget expenditure

    Buhari orders reduction in 2016 Budget expenditure

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday ordered the National Planning Commission (NPC) to go back to the drawing board and produce the framework for a 2016 national budget that will reduce recurrent expenditure and prioritize developmental projects.

    He gave the order after receiving a briefing from the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Bassey Akpanyung, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The President, according to a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, told Dr. Akpanyung and Directors of the NPC that capital projects must now be given the fullest possible priority because Nigeria cannot achieve real development without adequate investment in capital and infrastructural projects.

    “In carrying out its role in surveillance of the economy, review and appraisal of policies, the Commission should devise a plan for a realignment of the budget so that capital projects can be really prioritized,” the President directed the NPC.

    The Executive Secretary of the NPC had informed the President that Nigeria’s planning system was beset by many challenges.

    These challenges, he said, included the non-alignment of national plans with the annual budget and inadequate capacity in the departments of Planning, Research and Statistics in the various government ministries.

  • NPC donates relief materials to IDPs

    As part of activities to mark the 2015 World Population Day, the National Population Commission (NPC) has donated relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Kuje area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The items were delivered to the IDPs by a delegation from the commission led by the FCT Commissioner for Population, Dr. Daniel Kwali.

    Kwali who represented the NPC Chairman, Chief Eze Duruiheoma, said the visit was part of the commission’s mandate which is to monitor population growth, dispersal and migration of population within the country.

    He said “when we heard about this camp and other camps in the country, we decided to visit the today to hear from them on the challenges that daily confront them and their.”

    Kwali further stated that the way forward is to plan a long term strategy for the IDPs to go back to their homes once the battle of insurgency is over, which he said that the federal government is already handling.

    He however noted that the IDPs are not sure when the insurgency will be over and when they will feel secure to go back home, hence the need for basic amenities in the camp for the interim period.

    The chairman of the camp, Sunday Moses, expressed gratitude to NPC for the gesture while calling for more support from government.attacks are still going on so we do not know when we will be going back,” he said.

     

  • NPC to interview 30,000 for education survey

    NPC to interview 30,000 for education survey

    The next eighty-three days will be busy for field workers of the National Population Commission (NPC) as they move around over 30,000 households, pan-Nigeria, to conduct the National Education Data Survey (NEDS).

    The survey is a follow up to the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) carried out in 2013, which involved women aged 15-59, and men aged 15-69.

    NPC Federal Commissioner for Lagos State, Mrs Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said at a briefing held at the commission’s conference room in Lagos on Tuesday that the survey, which took off on May 4, would examine the educational status of children aged four to 16 in those households visited in 2013.

    Reading a speech on behalf of the NPC Chairman, Chief Eze Duruiheoma,  Mrs Salu-Hundeyin, said the commission hopes to record the education data of 45,000 during the survey.

    “The survey expects to interview a total of at least 30,000 parents/guardians aged 4-16.  The interview will focus on reasons for not attending school and for dropping out of school, frequency of absenteeism, and reasons for missing school, cost of schooling, and other issues,” she said.

    She said 850 households in Lagos would be visited and urged the respondents to cooperate with the NPC field workers.

    Highlighting the benefits of the survey, Mrs Salu-Hundeyin said it would provide political leaders with veritable data to plan and address problems in the education sector.

    “This survey will help us to know the educational status – whether truly we are improving educationally.  It is going to increase awareness.  It is going to help the government.  Don’t forget that population commission is the best authority on demographic data.  So this data will help the government of Lagos State in particular and Nigeria as a whole to plan in the area of education,” she said in an interview.

    At a similar briefing in Ekiti, the Federal Commissioner for the state, Adeniyi Fadairo, also urged the respondents to supply truthful answers to the officials.

    He further explained that the purpose of the survey is to seek out reasons for low enrolment, attendance, and poor learning outcomes, among others.

    “The outcome of the 2015 NEDS will inform programming that would improve levels of student enrollment and attendance, as well as facilitate equitable access to quality schooling for all children in Nigeria,” he said.

    The survey, which is conducted once in five years, would come up next in 2020.

  • NPC underscores financial literacy

    The National Pension Commission (NPC), has stressed the need to educate children on the importance of financial literacy.

    Director-General of NPC, Mrs Chinelo Anohu, said this at a sensitisation programme organised for students of Duke Town Secondary School, Calabar.

    The programme was organised to markthis year’s Global Money Week Celebrations of NPC’.

    Represented by Dr Faruk Aminu, NPC’s Head of Research and Corporate Strategy, Anohu said the programme was organised to create awareness on the various financial services being offered in Nigeria.

    “The goal of this programme is to promote financial literacy among the future generation of our country with the view to increasing uptake in these services for economic development.

    “The idea also is to inspire and educate young people to become conscientious business leaders of tomorrow through the development of right attitudes necessary for success and social responsibilities,” she said.

    According to Anohu, catching the students at a young age is key in building a society that harnesses its full potential in its journey to success.

    She said the current pension scheme has been re-structured in ensuring that everyone who works receives his or her retirement benefits as at when due.

    “The pension reform is a collective national endeavour and therefore every stakeholder, including individuals, youths, corporate organisations and agencies should be part of the vanguard of its implementation,” she said.

    Principal of the school, Mr Ayi Ita, said it was important to sensitise youths on pension matters as it is critical to human existence.

    Ita thanked the management of NPC for choosing his school for the exercise.

     

  • Reps to Presidency: return Budget Office to NPC

    The House of Representatives has attributed the dismal budget performance over the years to the removal of the Budget Office from the National Planning Commission (NPC).

    The lawmakers said having the Budget Office in the Presidency has made it a near-impossible task of achieving effective planning, implementation and proper coordination of the economy.

    Chairman of the House Committee on National Planning Commission, Bethel Amadi, who spoke at NPC’s budget defence at the weekend in Abuja, said the nation should take a cue from other countries that have returned their Budget Office to Planning Commission.

    He said: “Many of us in the House are agonised at the amount of resources given to the commission with such a large role.  We are of the strong believe that you deserve more than the resources being given to you if you are to truly determine the growth pattern of our economy, implement and  as well play your monitoring and evaluation  role effectively.

    “This is why we are of the opinion that budget office should be part and parcel of the National Planning Commission. The new way of having the budget office in Finance is not working.

    “A lot of countries, like India and South Africa, have gone back to the old ways and it is working for them. The National Planning must sign off before Finance can pay. We can’t just be paying for projects, many of which are like stop gaps.

    “This is why we have hundreds of uncompleted projects, most of which are very critical to our economy. We know the Ministry has been taken over by the Finance Ministry, but again we want to emphasise that the planning commission must be repositioned if the country is to achieve the desired change.

    “We need to build strong institutions and not strong men and women.  Powers and authorities should reside in institutions and not individuals.”

    While the commission was praised for the achievements recorded last year despite the limited resources at its disposal, the lawmakers assured the Commission of the Committee’s determination of getting the right funding for it to carry out its mandate.

    In his presentation, the Minister for National Planning and Vice Chairman of the NPC, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, who described last year’s appropriation as “ridiculous and release insignificant”, regretted that non-compliance with budget allocation by various sectors had remained the major hindrance to the nation’s development.

    He also informed the committee that paucity of funds has made the realisation of the commission’s core mandate of formulating, implementing and monitoring/evaluation of policies and projects an uphill task.