President Muhammadu Buhari don approve di postponement of di 2023 Population and Housing Census wey suppose shele on 3 May to 7 May 2023.
Dis one mean say na di incoming administration of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu go determine di date of di census.
Di Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed for one statement on Saturday say President Buhari bin give di approval afta di meeting wit some members of di Federal Executive Council and di Chairman of di National Population Commission, Nasir Isa-Kwarra and im team for di Presidential Villa for Abuja on Friday.
According to Mohammed, in arriving at di decision to postpone di census, di meeting re-echo di critical need for di conduct of a Population and Housing Census, 17 years afta di last census, to collect up-to-date data wey go drive di developmental goals of di kontri and improve di living standard of di Nigerian pipo.
Mohammed say di President commend di approach wey di Commission put in place to conduct accurate and reliable census, especially the massive deployment of technology wey dey capable of delivering world class census.
E say di President direct di Commission to kontinu wit preparations for di conduct of di 2023 Population and Housing Census so dem go fit sustain di progress wey dem don record and provide di basis for di incoming administration to build on dis achievement.
Why dem postpone di census?
Before di postponement, Census Manager for di National Population Commission (NPC), Inuwa Jalingo, tok say dem fit postpone di exercise.
Jalingo wey speak on Channels TV on Friday tok say dem neva do validation on building numbering and counting wey go enable credible census.
E also tok say some technical problems and issues dey wey dem go need to fix bifor dem proceed wit di exercise.
“We suppose begin di actual counting on di third of May, but bifor dat we get wetin we dey call building numbering and counting wey we neva do.
“On di technical processes, bifor you do census wey be pesin enumerations, we get wetin we dey call daily numbering and also listing, we get all information of di building and di enumeration and demarcation of di buildings,” e tok.
E say some buildings don dey stocked up for so many places and some don chop demolition, and dem go need to update some of di information for dia database and get readi for di census.
Jalingo say dem also need to identify di buildings for dia database and dis one go take five days field work and about two to three days of validation to ensure say consistency dey for di data.
According to Jalingo, di counting and numbering of households and buildings na a standard framework and procedure to achieve credible census.
“Global process dey wey we gazz follow to ensure say we actualise credible census,” Jalingo tok.
‘Census na festival of democracy’
Chizor Wisdom Dike wey be lecturer for di Department of Sociology Rivers State University tok say im get great expectations for di 2023 census and e believe say wen di proper framework dey used, di 2023 national census go determine how many we dey for Nigeria.
“We dey always say we dey about 200million pesins, 210million. Evri year we do some kain mathematics and calculations to say dis na how many we dey but we fit dey more than dis figures.
“So I dey look forward to dis census so Nigeria go fit plan with real data and figures becos Census na festival of democracy.
“Reason na becos evribodi wan know dia pipo from di grass roots, pipo dey busy to dey captured, politicians too dey busy. So if dem do wetin INEC dey do now, I believe say dem fit capture real figures.”
Especially with di technology NPC dey deploy for dis census, Dike say na good development becos di world do go digital so dem no fit give any excuse as di software and hardware dey for dem to use so e expect say dis census go make use of di appropriate technology to deliver real value of national census.
Di Sociology lecturer also encourage pipo to fully participate and make sure say dem dey counted just as dem dey rush to get dia voters cards.
“So I go say make dis awareness build up so more pipo go dey conscious of di importance of di census and ensure dem dey counted wen di time reach.”
