By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The National Population Commission, NPC, has reassured Nigerians of its commitment to deliver an accurate, reliable and acceptable population and housing census in 2023 that would drive sustainable development in the country.

The assurance was given on Monday by the NPC Federal Commissioner for Benue state, Mrs. Patricia Kupchi at the State Level Workshop on Compendium of Localities for 2023 Population and Housing Census organised by the Commission in Makurdi.

While noting that the workshop was significant in the build up to the enumeration exercise, Mrs. Kupchi said, “it is also a very critical step as we progress towards the 2023 census.

Reading from the text of the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, the Federal Commissioner said the Commission would deliver a digitised census that would be the first of its kind in the country.

She said “I must therefore use this opportunity to assure the State that the Commission is irrevocably committed to positively rewrite the history of censuses in the State and deliver to this great nation accurate, reliable and acceptable census that will be purposefully relevant in the drive towards sustainable national development.”

She explained that the objective of the workshop “is to compile all the localities demarcated during the Enumeration Area Demarcation, EAD, on Local Government Area basis showing the coverage and location on interactive maps.

“This compilation will be presented to our stakeholders in this workshop. The soft copy of the locality list will also be given to all the Local Government Chairmen.

“The Compendium of Locality in Census taking is a tool for Census data dissemination as well as for National planning and development.

“The Compendium of Locality which will be presented to the Governor before the 2023 Population and Housing Census will be approved with the consensus of stakeholders as the Gazetteer of Place Names for the Country.

“With the huge resources that the Government has expended on the EAD, we are happy that the NPC has acquired a lot of data sets that will be useful for National development.

“I wish to restate that, getting the 2023 Population and Housing Census right is a task that must be done and the Commission is committed to ensuring that everything about the census is done rightly and professionally.”

The Boundaries Commissioner, Benue State Boundry Committee, Solomon Adaga who noted that the workshop wouldn’t have come at a better time urged the commission to intensify its advocacy and enlightenment campaign about the exercise.

Also, the State Director of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Joseph Ijir commended the commission for commencing the census processes early. He assured of the cooperation of the NOA to effectively mobilise and sensitise the people towards the exercise.

While the Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs, Mr. Ken Achabo represented by Mrs. Veronica Adams, a Deputy Director promised sustained support to the NPC to ensure the success of the exercise in the state.

The workshop which attracted Local Government Council Chairmen and traditional rulers from across the state also featured presentations by experts to drive home the importance of the 2023 exercise.