The Federal Commissioner representing Edo State in the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr. Tony Aiyejina, has said that Nigeria can become a developed country when there are accurate statistics to plan, just as he explained that the postponement of the 2023 Census became inevitable due to the need for the incoming administration to take ownership of the census and prosecute it to its logical conclusion.
Speaking to newsmen during a breakfast interactive media chat in Benin City, Dr. Aiyejina said another reason for the postponement was the compelling need to ensure that no part of the country will be naturally disadvantaged if the census is conducted during the rainy season.
“This is predicated on the fact that simultaneity is a key attribute of census taking, which demands that the census must start and end at the same time in all parts of the country. Going by international best practices, not even natural encumbrances should be allowed to affect the simultaneity component of the census, which may lead to undercounting in certain areas of the county,” he said.
The federal commissioner said going forward, it behoves on all Nigerians to sustain public awareness and interest about the census in spite of its postponement.
“The media will naturally play a critical and pivotal role in this regard. This is why the breakfast media chat on the postponement of the census is apt, timely and important,” he said.
Dr. Aiyejina said the NPC intends to take census advocacy to the highest organs of government and other critical stakeholders in the state, even as it awaits a new date for the census.
“I want all of us to bear at the back of our minds that the census is a statistical exercise that should be insulated from political influences, whose primary purpose is to provide socio-economic and demographic data for national planning and development,” he noted.
He stated that pursuant to its constitutional mandate of conducting censuses for the country and having got the approval of former President Muhammadu Buhari to conduct a Population and Housing Census for Nigeria, the Commission began preparatory activities for the census by taking the bold and unprecedented decision to conduct a digital census for the country.
He said that the first major preparatory activity was enumeration area demarcation (EAD) which is the delineation of the country into units where enumerators will work during the actual census. He said the EAD is the strategic architectural frame and foundation for the census and that the 18 local government areas in Edo State have been successfully demarcated.
“The Commission has also conducted the first and second pretest, as well as the trial census which was a dress rehearsal for the census proper meant to test the instruments and methodology for the census. Thereafter, the Commission created a recruitment portal for all categories of census ad hoc functionaries to apply online for recruitment,” Dr. Aiyejina said.
“The training of census functionaries has already been done, except for enumerators and supervisors. All non-sensitive census materials for the census including Personal Digital Assistants have been warehoused with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Benin branch, for safe keeping,” he added.
He commended the governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, and other traditional rulers for their support during the processes up to this point, reiterating that Nigeria can be a developed country if there are accurate statistics to plan.
