NPC Says Every Nigerian, Including Those in IDP Camps Will be Counted

NPC Says Every Nigerian, Including Those in IDP Camps Will be Counted

The National Population Commission has reassured Nigerians of its commitment to capture every part of the country including the Internally Displaced Camps during the coming census which will commence on May 3rd-7th, 2023. The NPC spokesperson, Mr. Isiaka Yahaya stated this while responding to the comments that the census has a hidden agenda and that

The National Population Commission has reassured Nigerians of its commitment to capture every part of the country including the Internally Displaced Camps during the coming census which will commence on May 3rd-7th, 2023.

The NPC spokesperson, Mr. Isiaka Yahaya stated this while responding to the comments that the census has a hidden agenda and that it would not give accurate data about Nigeria’s population, given that there are internally displaced people who might not participate in the process.

Recall that several stakeholders, including the Benue state governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom have raised eyebrows at the timing and commencement of the census. Mr. Ortom in his opposition noted that the country is facing challenges of insecurity which have forced many Nigerians out of their immediate locations.

The Benue state governor in his words on Thursday stated that “the census should be suspended until the FG is able to restore security and all our IDPs go back to their ancestral lands to give all of them opportunities to be counted in the homes of birth. the federal government to postpone the head counting process till insecurity challenge has been solved across the country”

Speaking to the development, Mr Yahaya told NDR in a phone conversation that some of the critics of the census failed to understand how the process is meant to be conducted.

He explained that the commission has deployed a methodology whereby there is a provision for every Nigerian to be counted regardless of their location. He also encouraged the people in the ID camps to cooperate with their staff during the census.

The comment made by the governor of Benue state is based on a lack of understanding of the census process, in other words, whether people are in IDPs or not, wherever they are, the methodology for the census is that people are counted. so the fact they are in ID camps does not mean that they will not be counted. They will be counted, so far they are in the space of Nigeria.

“So for him to say because there are IDPs, within Benue who are scattered elsewhere, the census should be postponed based on a lack of understanding of what the census says. People in IDP camps will be counted and they fear that is not their normal places of residence, we have an item in the question that we will ask them for where is their normal place of residence. So if they are from where the information says they are, that information will be captured. They are actually not going to lose anything.

Where the camps are located have already been demarcated and enumerators have been assigned, so it is not a question of making extra effort it is already in our methodology to be counted”, he said.

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