By Habibu Harisu
Alhaji Chiso Dattijo, the Federal Commissioner of National Population Commission (NPC)
in charge of Sokoto State, has urged journalists to sustain contributions for maximum success of postponed national census.
Dattijo made the call at a meeting with media executives and other stakeholders in Sokoto.
He said the postponement of the 2023 National Population and Housing Census has given the commission the opportunity to further perfect the processes and systems.
He added that the meeting was to update the media on progress made so far in preparation for the 2023 population and housing census before the postponement.
The commissioner explained that the decision of former President Muhammadu Buhari to postpone the conduct of the census was to give the present administration the opportunity to have input into the census process.
Dattijo commended the media for the awareness and sensitisation of Nigerians on the census, which he said would lay solid foundation for future census.
He said “the postponement has given the commission the opportunity to further perfect its processes and systems for the conduct of the first-ever digital census.”
He added that the commission ensured that resources expended were safeguarded, “and the nation does not need to start all over when the census is to be conducted.”
He said NPC was not just looking at the immediate need of delivering the next census but concerned more about further perfection of the complete processes.
The State Director, Alhaji Malami Marafa-Gagi, called for sustained partnership, and urged the media to continue to enlighten the people on the importance of census.
Marafa-Gagi said NPC recriuted and trained indigenes, comprising ad hoc staff, enumerators, facilitators and supervisors.
“The commission has equally demarcated the land areas for easy operation, in addition to procurement of necessary equipment and other logistics,” he said.
He described the media as strategic partner in the commission’s arrangements for the census.
In his remark, the Sokoto State Chairman of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhaji Dalhatu Safiyal-Magori, assured the support of journalists
in the state to achieve the desired goals.
In his contribution, Prof. Mu’azu Shamaki from Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, said the postponement would enable stakeholders to realign and ensure perfection and complete national census.
Shamaki underscored the importance of census to national planning, stressing that the country is using an obsolete population data conducted about
17 years ago to plan for today.
Another Scholar, Prof. Tukur Baba, spoke on the history and social impacts of national census and advised NPC to sustain the achievement for healthy
growth and national development. (NAN)
