National Population Commission (NPC) has sought the cooperation, support and assistance of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to ensure credible and reliable population and housing census in 2023.
Federal commissioner, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the commission, Hon Joseph Shazin Kwali, who made the call in an interview with LEADERSHIP in Abuja, warned residents against being involved in any activity that might truncate the exercise.
Kwali reiterated that the successful conduct of the 2023 Census would assist the country in its development plans.
He said the commission experienced the challenges of difficult terrain and poor awareness among residents in the just concluded trial census, which took place in selected areas of the three area councils of the territory.
The commissioner added that the commission would build on these experiences to improve its performance during the main census, adding that the trial census is a sample strategy to test-run the commission’s equipment.
He said the commission would partner with other government agencies, such as the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other agencies to enlighten the grassroots on the essence of the coming 2023 Population and Housing Census.
He continued: “During the just concluded trial census in FCT, we experienced difficulty reaching some areas because of bad roads, especially in Bwari area council. We also had the challenge of getting accommodation for our functionaries, especially for those who cannot get an accommodation in their areas of assignments.
And apart from the challenge of transportation, there are also the issue of insecurity among the enumerators.”
