By Patrick Ochei
The Honourable Federal Commissioner representing Delta State in the National Population Commission (NPC), Sir Chief Richard Odibo has hosted Journalists in Delta State to a lavished breakfast interactive media chat on the postponement of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, on Tuesday 6th June, 2023, at the Commission’s headquarters in Asaba.
During the meeting, the Federal Commissioner appreciated the media for their support over the years through publicity and necessary suggestions on key technical areas of the media in order for the Commission to achieve success in its assignment.
Odibo also used the opportunity to account for the successes made and challenges encountered since 2013 when the Commission started making preparations towards the 2023 National Population and Housing Census, maintaining that it had been most challenging but worthwhile as a result of the digital gains made thus far.
According to him, so far in Delta State, the Commission would be engaging and training about 13,814 enumerators and 2,046 supervisors for the supervision of the enumerators, 32 data quality managers to ensure that the data quality meets acceptable international standards, 416 specialised workforce made up of Internet savvy young men and women to efficiently man the modern operation gadgets, 26 Local Government Areas Coordinators, 26 field monitoring and evaluation Coordinators, including 1385 facilitators to train the functionaries with 98 persons engaged to man the training centres. This is the point the Commission was before the postponement of the Census by the Federal Government.
The Federal Commissioner said the idea behind the training of the enumerators was to ensure that the first digital census in Nigeria for 2023 meets the best international standard.
He further affirmed that irrespective of the postponement of the actual census by the Immediate Past President Muhammadu Buhari, adequate arrangements had already been made for the storage and protection of the Commission’s acquired equipment to safeguard them from theft, damage or vandalisation.
On record, Delta State took delivery of 10,600 Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) with their security ensured at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Sir Odibo in explaining the difference between BVAS machine and the PDAs machine, he said that both Devices were manufactured to serve a specialised purpose except that human beings made effort to undermine the best purpose of the BVAS.
He said it would be difficult to circumvent what the Commission has in terms of electronic device for the enumeration.
Explaining further, he said that the Commission’s digital machine has what is called the Mobile Device Manager (MDM), which ensures that the functionary can only use the device for what it is meant for through monitoring and observation from the central point.
His words, “In a very special way, I will like to appreciate you for deploying your staff to cover the activities of the Commission as they (reporters) now constitute the NPC Press Corps. I must tell you that they have been diligent, wonderful and professional in reporting the activities of the Commission.
“You will recall that the former President Muhammadu Buhari in approving the postponement of the 2023 Census from the scheduled date of 3rd to 7th May 2023, commended the Commission for the appreciable progress recorded and urged that preparations for the Census should continue.
“The Commission welcomes the decision of the Federal Government to postpone the conduct of the Census in order to give the incoming administration the opportunity to have inputs into the Census process as it is one thing to conduct a census and it is another thing to be accepted. It therefore became necessary, to secure the buy in of the government that will make use of the data we will be generating from the Census exercise. The postponement has also given the Commission the opportunity to further perfect its processes and systems for the conduct of the first ever digital Census.
“As you are aware, the Commission has carried out all the preparation activities towards the Census such as the Enumeration Area Demarcation, conduct of the first and second pre-tests and Trial Census, recruitment and training of Census Field Staff, procurement and configuration of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), production of manuals of instruction for each adhoc staff, establishment of ICT infrastructures across the country and logistics support and advocacy and publicity activities”, Odibo informed the media.
In his address of welcome, the NPC State Director, Mr. Patrick Okonkwo Lotobi said that the objective of the breakfast interactive media chat was to fraternise with their media supporters and to update them on the status of preparation for the 2023 census and the next steps forward in the light of the postponement of the Census.
He stressed that the Commission was trying to be conscious of the enormous human and material resource investments made already, adding that the most important thing now is to sustain and reinforce the relevance of the 2023 census to ensure that all that had been expended in the implementation of its preparatory activities do not become obsolete before the new administration decides on a new date for the census to hold.
In his vote of thanks to the media guests and the Commission’s staff, the Consultant to NPC on Enumeration Matters and Traditional Ruler of Ubulu-Uno Kingdom, HRM Obi Henry Afamefune Kikachukwu 1, said that census is like blood running in his body, indicating his passion to continue to do what he knows best to do no matter his present position within the traditional institution in the State.
Obi Kikachukwu affirmed that census must take place in no distant time based on the enormous resources already committed to the process, insisting that no soothsayer has the capacity to tell otherwise.
He maintained that the traditional institutions were solidly behind the Commission to succeed in the task of delivering the 2023 Population and Housing Census to Nigerians; thereby urging the staff to continue to do their best by working harder to deliver on set target in the interest of national peace and unity.
