The National Population Commission (NPC) has trained journalists in Cross River state on how best to effectively report the forthcoming population and housing census.
Speaking in Calabar during a one day State Level Capacity Building Workshop for Journalists on Effective Reporting of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, the Federal Commissioner representing the state on the NPC Board, Navy Captain Charles Ogwa (rtd), said effective reporting could help in sensitising Nigerians on importance of the exercise.
He appealed to Nigerians to understand that without census, national planning could become difficult and sought the cooperation of Cross River people with NPC staff in the course of the exercise.
“Nigeria’s next election Population and Housing Census will be fully digital and will be conducted in accordance with the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for 2020 Programme on Population and Housing Censuses.
“The Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) has been accomplished using GPS-enabled PDAs Big Data and other geospatial resources such as high resolution Satellite imageries that facilitated the collection of fully geo-referenced data on all buildings and household in the country.
“If we get it right, Nigeria will not be doing an elaborate census again but will be doing update to what we would have achieved during the 2023 exercise. Population should be about people and not as number for political reason,” he stated
The Commissioner lamented inability of the State government to identify with activities of Commission despite all entreaties.
“Despite all entreaties and letters to the Cross River government, it has refused to identify with us. Support is not only about funding, support could be just coming around during our activities so as to boost the morale of the people thereby sending a message that this is a serious business,” he stated.
