However, the Chairman of the National Population Commission,
Nasir Isa-Kwarra, has disclosed that the commission will meet with the Federal
Government on Friday to validate the date for the national population and
housing census.
He said, “The census date is fixed for May 3. We are meeting
with the government finally to validate that date tomorrow (Friday), and
hopefully, we will be able to let the world know if that May 3 stands or should
be shifted.”
He made this disclosure during a meeting with the Diplomatic
Corps in Abuja on Thursday.
Isa-Kwarra also said that there would be a restriction on
movement during the first three days of the National Housing and Population
Census.
The NPC chairman said, “Restriction of movement is often
considered as important during enumeration to enhance full coverage of the
population. This measure will go a long way to control individual mobility and
as such, enumerators are able to meet the households in their residences. The
restriction also helps to check double enumeration as it reduces the chances of
persons moving from one location to another to present themselves for
enumeration more than once.
“The National Population Commission plans to request the
Federal Government of Nigeria for restriction of movement during the first 3
days of Census enumeration.
“For the 2023 Population and Housing Census, it is scheduled
that the first 3 days of enumeration fall on weekdays preferably, Wednesday to
Friday so that enumeration can be rounded off in the last two days at the weekend.”
He, however, said that diplomats and all those who would be
on essential duties are to be exempted from restrictions.
The NPC chairman further disclosed that the commission had
yet to get all the devices needed to carry out the census, noting that some
devices will be procured in a few days’ time.
“For the country, we require up to 800,000 PADs, so far, we
have procured about 500,000. The remaining are coming in a few days’ time,”
Isa-Kwarra said.
Contacted, the Director of Public Affairs, NPC, Isiaka
Yahaya, to speak on the possibility of the census holding, but he said, “No
comment”.
However, he affirmed that there would be a restriction of
movement during the census when a date is fixed.
Consultations ongoing
On the donations for the census by the private sector and
other key stakeholders, he said.
But you know the way they operate, it is not as if the money
will come like that. They have to talk with their own government and look at
their budget. So, that process is ongoing. But we cannot say any money has come
in. It is a process, and the process is unfolding.”
A source close to the NPC officer in Edo revealed that the
date was likely to be shifted as the Commission is yet to conclude training the
supervisors and other key officers that will take part in the headcount
exercise.
He noted that the national office would inform all state
offices about this development and announce a new date for the exercise.
“I can tell you that the census will likely be shifted as
the supervisors and other key officers that will take an active part in the
head count are yet to be fully trained. However, the commission will announce a
new date soon,” the source stated.
Also, the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, declined a
request seeking an order postponing the 2023 Census slated to hold from May 3
to 5.
The judge, Inyang Ekwo, refused to grant the application,
and instead asked the applicant, Omotuyi Ademola, to put the defendant, the NPC
on notice.
Ekwo acknowledged
that the applicant’s lawyer moved a motion for an interim injunction to postpone
the conduct of the 2023 Census.
“However, on considering the motion, I am of the opinion
that the defendants should be put on notice,” the judge said.
He, therefore, ordered the counsel for the applicant, Victor
Opatola, to put the NPC on notice for the commission to appear in court and
show cause why the applicant’s motion should not be granted.
He adjourned the matter until May 5, for the defendant to
show cause.
Benue female IDPs protest
Meanwhile, some women from the Internally Displaced Persons’
camps in Benue State on Thursday staged a peaceful protest at the state office
of the NPC in Makurdi.
The office is located at the federal secretariat opposite
state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The protesting women
were demanding the postponement of the forthcoming National Population and
Housing Census.
The women who were
armed with typed letters carried placards some of which read, “Don’t erase our
existence, we deserve to be counted in our homes and not camps”, “don’t silence
our voices, don’t ruga our lands” and “count us in not out, “say no to unfair
census practices” among others.
Leading the protesters, Mrs Laadi Tior, who claimed to be an
inmate of Tse Uikpam IDPs camp Guma Local Government Area, said that they embarked
on the peaceful protest to draw the attention of the commission to the fact
that the planned census may likely leave out the displaced persons.
She said, “If the census is conducted as planned Benue IDPs
would not be counted in their communities and the essence of the exercise would
be defeated.”
“That is the reason we are asking that the census be
postponed till we are returned to our ancestral homes where we should be
counted because we do not want to be counted in IDPs camps.”
Also speaking, an inmate from Abagena IDPs camp Makurdi, Mrs
Comfort Avaan decried their continuous stay in the camp and called on the
government to ensure their safe return to their ancestral homes.
Receiving the protesting women on behalf of the Federal
Commissioner, Mrs Patricia Kupchi the acting State Director, Mr Chris Nege,
commended the women for being peaceful in their protest and assured that the
issues raised would be tabled before the appropriate authorities through the
Federal Commissioner.
He said, “But to add to that, the commission is not
unmindful of the people in the IDP camps. There are plans to count everybody,
be they in their usual place of residence or in the IDPs camps, the commission
has taken care of that.
“There are questions in the questionnaire that are
specifically designed for IDPs which will capture where they came from and
everything, so there is no reason for worry. But all the same, our Federal
Commissioner will take your letter to the appropriate authorities.”
States await materials
The NPC in Ogun state says it is awaiting Federal
Government’s funding for the exercise.
Chairman Publicity Committee of the commission in the state,
Dr Eyitayo Oyetunji, stated this while speaking with one of our correspondents
in Abeokuta, on Thursday.
Eyitayo said training had been ongoing for its ad hoc staff
ahead of the commencement of the exercise.
When asked how prepared is the commission in the state,
Oyetunji, said, “We are very prepared for the exercise.”
On the training of its workers, he said, “The training is a
continuous process by the census crew, so, we have done certain levels of
training.”
On whether there is a complaint over unpaid allowances, the
spokesperson for the NPC in the state said while some had collected their
allowances, others had yet due to issues with bank accounts.
He said, “The payment process is ongoing. Some functionaries
have issues, maybe they didn’t enter the correct bank account numbers, or maybe
they have some issues with their banks.
“So, all those are being sorted, but, the majority have been
paid but the remnants that have one or two issues are being sorted out and they
are being paid.”
“We are awaiting the
government’s funding to proceed with the process.”
Also, the National Commissioner for the NPC in Kwara state,
Abdulrazaq Gidado, admitted that there were l problems in terms of payment of
the allowances of the trained facilitators but the Commission is trying to sort
out some things.
He said, “We have trained the Facilitators who will, in
turn, train the Supervisors and the Enumerators and right now a refresher
course is going on for the Facilitators, they started their virtual training on
Monday this week, but we are yet to commence the training for the Enumerators and
this is due to little hike up in the payment of the allowances of some trained
facilitators.
“We have about 26 facilitators whose allowances are yet to
be paid and this is due to some factors which included a double payment made to
some facilitators who were paid two or three times, some did not present their
account details properly while some presented students account which they have
been warned against.
“Efforts are being made to correct this so that those
trained as facilitators will be paid their allowances.”
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