The National Population Commission (NPC) has announced that a new date for the National Census has not been determined yet but will be set by the Federal Government. The NPC has emphasized its commitment to protecting all resources allocated in preparation for the 2023 Population and Housing Census in the country.
During a one-day breakfast meeting for media executives held on Friday in Abakaliki, Mr. Darlington Okereke, the NPC’s Federal Commissioner in Ebonyi, stated that ensuring this safeguard is essential to prevent the need for restarting preparations once a new date is established.
“We also gathered to enlighten you on the next steps forward in the light of the postponement of the conduct by the former President,” also mentioned.
The Commissioner noted that it had carried out all the preparatory activities towards the census exercise, including the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) and conduct of pre-tests and trial census amongst others.
“We have conducted recruitment and training of census field staff, procurement and configuration of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), the establishment of ICT infrastructures and logistics support, advocacy and publicity activities.
“The most important task before the commission is to sustain and reinforce the relevance of these activities to the successful conduct of the 2023 census.
“This will ensure that the nation does not have to start afresh the preparations, thereby saving cost.
“The Commission has laid a solid foundation for future censuses,” Okereke stated.