Ahead of the forthcoming 2023 population and housing census exercise, the Federal Commissioner representing Cross River State in the Board of the National Population Commission (NPC), Navy Capt. Charles Ogwa (rtd), has decried what he called the lukewarm attitude of the State government to identify with pre-census activities in the State.
Ogwa spoke to journalists on Tuesday in Calabar, during the State Level Capacity Building Workshop for Journalists on Effective Reporting of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
The NPC Commissioner, therefore, urged Governor Ben Ayade to emulate his counterparts in other States, who had identified with pre-census activities in their States, as the Commission was making preparations ahead of the first-ever digital Population and Housing Census in the country.
Ogwa urged the Cross River State governor not to allow the Commission’s appeal fall on deaf ears, urging the State government not to distance itself from the exercise, which he said would impact positively on the citizens psychologically.
“Despite all entreaties and letters to the Cross River government, it has refused to identify with us.
“Support is not only about funding, support could be just coming around during our activities so as to boost the morale of the people thereby sending a message that this is a serious business,” Ogwa said.
The NPC Commissioner urged residents of the State to cooperate with NPC staff who would be in the field for the exercise.
“Nigeria’s next population and housing census will be fully digital and will be conducted in accordance with the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for 2020 Programme on Population and Housing Censuses.
“The Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) has been accomplished using GPS-enabled PDAs Big Data and other geospatial resources such as high resolution Satellite imageries that facilitated the collection of fully geo-referenced data on all buildings and households in the country.
“If we get it right, Nigeria will not be doing an elaborate census again but will be doing update to what we would have achieved during the 2023 exercise. Population should be about people and not as mere number for political reason,” Ogwa maintained.
He lauded the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for supporting the Commission for a successful conduct of the proposed March/April census exercise.
In his remarks, State Director, Billy Eteng, stated that with a projected growth rate of 3.2 per cent and estimated population of 200 million, Nigeria was likely to become third most populous country in the world by 2050, soliciting for support from all to enable the commission conduct a successful exercise.
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