2023 Census’ll be better than the past
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Ahead of 2023 census the National Population Commission (NPC), has given assurances that it would be better than previous years, revealing that there won’t be postponement.
Speaking, Abubakar Danburam, Federal Commissioner National Population Commission representing Gombe State, disclosed this during an interview with journalists at the state compendium of localities workshop organised to finalise and present to the grassroot the list of localities for the 2023 population and housing census.
Our Correspondent reports that participants at the workshop include Chairmen, some Deputy Chairmen of Local Government Areas as well as Desk Officers across the 11 councils in Gombe.
According to him, This workshop would present compendium of each local government to participants, adding that NPC would harvest the inputs of stakeholders.
Danburam said, “They will go and cross-check and confirm to us whether the list of localities is correct and if it is not correct they put the right thing and bring it for us to put it right. We can’t do census without putting the localities right.
“We expect that they will come back with either positive or negative observation after the report. By localities we mean carved out areas because of the demarcation areas. This list will ensure all villages, within the localities are stated, in a case of omitted villages it left for the traditional rulers and chairman to sort it out and get us the true position of things.”
Commenting on possible shift in census preparations, the Federal Commissioner said there won’t be postponement of the much anticipated head count in 2023.
He added, “The council of state approved April next year 2023, we can’t shift that is why we are doing everything possible to beat the date. No stone will be left unturned, that was why we have done pre-test one, two, trial census as well stakeholders summit and we are now doing the localities workshop so that we exhaust every areas of preparation before the census comes. We have started e-recruitment and they are processes before the census.”
Explaining further on what makes this workshop exceptional from previous engagement, Danburam said the later is digital, describing the past as analogue.
“That is why we are giving all assurances with the help of God that the census this time will be better than any census before because it is digital and the workshop is certainly digital and it not analogue like before.
“I’m calling on the stakeholders that is the local government chairmen and the traditional rulers to please sit together to come out with the correct thing. We don’t want a situation someone will say this village falls within my own area and you have taken it over. We don’t a situation where there are problems which will hinder the process of the census,” he said
