CLAIM: NPC is recruiting ad-hoc staff for the 2025 nationwide census.

VERDICT: False

BACKGROUND 

On Monday, February 3, 2025, a WhatsApp user in a community group posted recruitment information supposedly being carried out by the National Population Commission, NPC.

The post, which read: *NATIONAL POPULATION CENSUS 2025 AD-HOC STAFF RECRUITMENT-2025* Are You Skilled,Courageous,and principled? Nigeria Needs You.*Application Portal is now Open*_Apply And Also Share To Others there might Be Someone Who Needs This Opportunity_  Click the link below to apply now,” also had an application link attached.

The National Population Commission (NPC) was established by the Nigerian Constitution to oversee population-related matters. The Commission’s responsibilities include conducting censuses, registering births and deaths, and providing data for economic and development planning. Additionally, the Commission advises the President on population issues and appoints and trains staff to carry out its functions.

However, the last publicised ad-hoc staff recruitment by the Commission was carried out between October 31, 2022, and December 31, 2022, against the indefinitely postponed 2023 national population census.

This is a screenshot of the original and fake recruitment fliers.

This prompted us to check the integrity of the link posted by the WhatsApp user so as to educate Nigerians on the dangers inherent in clicking on unverified links and also to confirm the truthfulness of the supposed recruitment exercise. The verification is also necessary because of the economic situation of the country and how eager people are to get legitimate means of income.

VERIFICATION

On clicking the application link, there is a pop-up message welcoming users to the page and asking them to click “OK” to apply for the ad-hoc position.

This is a Screenshot of the pop-up message.

When we clicked on “OK,” it was discovered that the website mirrored the landing page of the original website of the NPC. The website, which as of the time this report was written has 175k views, 38k comments, and 32k shares, also asked users for information like full name, email/phone, state of origin, and so on.

Further checks using the website analytics tool, DNSlytics, revealed that the website’s IP address is in the USA and the domain has been blacklisted by the Domain Name System (DNS).

Screenshot of analysis results.

Also, further findings revealed that the NPC’s domain extension ends with _gov.ng while the phishing website carries _org. A check on the official Facebook page and X handle of the Commission also revealed a press release dated January 30, 2025, debunking the recruitment exercise, adding that any recruitment exercise by the commission will be announced on national media and the agency’s social media. Platforms and websites.

An image of the press release

CONCLUSION

After conducting an online website analysis check and consulting official handles of the National Population Commission, it was discovered that The agency is not currently recruiting ad-hoc staff for the 2025 census, and There is no appointed date yet for the census. Therefore, the claim that the National Population Commission is recruiting ad-hoc staff for the 2025 census is false.