Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
NPC partners media to conduct credible, accepted 2023 population and housing census
The National Population Commission (NPC) Federal Commissioner in Borno state, Isa Buratai, has said that the media is critical in conducting a credible and accepted 2023 population and housing census in the country.
According to him, the completion of Enumeration Areas Demarcation (EAD) exercise; could enable the media to identify and overcome the challenges of a credible and certified census.
Declaring the capacity building workshop for journalists, yesterday (Wednesday), in Maiduguri, Buratai disclosed: “We’re also to engage journalists for an effective reporting of the forthcoming population and housing census in the state.”
The NPC Head of Department, Haruna Ibrahim, in a paper titled: “Enumeration Demarcation for the 2023 Population and Housing Census,” said that about 44, 000 satellite image maps including fairly drawn maps with enumeration boundary description were completed for the April, 2023 head count.
Reiterating the roles of media, he noted that the Commission’s mandate cannot be achieved without a comprehensive, reliable and sustainable geographic frame.
“The Commission will regularly update the existing National Geographic Frame (NGF),” he said, noting that this will meet the internal needs of the NPC, as well as that of the various geospatial communities in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
He explained that the use of geospatial data in Census mapping has upgraded Census maps from what he described, as, “The instruments of area of assignment location to roles cutting in all the stages of Census and Surveys.”
According to him, the national digital map for the country comprises enumerating, supervisory, locality and LGA maps.
Speaking on the tools of enumeration, he said: “About 50% of the hybrid system is the Census Pad that handles the Geo-spatial component of the system.”
He said that the hybrid system is used for buildings’ numbering and households listing across the country.
The NPC State Director, Alhaji Kachalla Yerima, further disclosed that Abadam local council and the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza Council are the no go areas for the national census.
He attributed the inaccessibility for the EADs exercise to insecurity and other challenges of the Commission conducting a credible population and housing census.
