The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Wednesday, said the 2023 census would require “a lot of time, skill and stamina” from the National Population Commission.
According to a statement signed late Wednesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said this when he participated in the first phase of Census 2023, a trial House listing and House numbering in selected local government areas of the country.
The statement is titled ‘President Buhari participates in trial census in Daura, congratulates NPC on preparedness’.
To mark the commencement of the exercise, the National Population Commission accredited the President at his country home in Daura, Katsina State, where he urged officials to justify the confidence of the government by returning accurate, verifiable and dependable data.
Speaking to the team led by the NPC Chairman, Nasir Kwarra, he said, “I am happy you have started the process, and congratulations. I know this will require a lot of time, skill and stamina.”
After the digital capturing, the chairman explained that President Buhari had been designated number one on the list, from Daura, Katsina, and his house was also the first.
The chairman said the trial followed the conclusion of the training of the field functionaries for the Trial Census exercise, who would begin the fieldwork of the Trial Census from July 13-30, 2022 in the selected Enumeration Areas and Local Government Areas in the 36 States of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory.
“It is a process in which all census operations are tested in a detailed and comprehensive manner to assess the level of preparedness of the Commission to conduct the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
“The Trial Census shall cover a total of 7,681 Enumeration Areas in the 36 States and the FCT. Six LGAs have been selected from the six selected states in the six geo-political zones of the country for full population enumeration while forty-five EAs in nine LGAs cutting across three senatorial districts were selected from each of the thirty states and the FCT for enumeration,” he explained.
The Trial Census fieldwork includes, building numbering and household listing from July 13-15, 2022; validation of EA frame from July 16-18, 2022; person’s enumeration from July 19-25, 2022; and enumeration mop up from July 26-30, 2022.
Kwarra added that at the end of the trial census exercise, the NPC expects to take away lessons on their chosen methodology, work load, challenges of data collection in peculiar areas and the education as well as the adequacy of the preparation of their enumerators.