Why Nigerian goment postpone census?

Di National Population Commission (NPC) don shift di kontri national census from 29 March to May 2023.

Dis na sake of say di Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) bin postpone di govnorship and state House of Assembly election from March 11 to March 18.

Na di Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed yarn dis one on 15 March.

Di Federal Executive Council today approve 2.8 billion naira for di procurement of software for NPC for di conduct of di national census.

NPC dey ready for di census

Di National Population Commission don express dia readiness for di census wey go shele for May.

Di commission bin commence training of di comptrollers in charge of di dia local goment area offices nationwide on di critical processes of di census.

According to di commission, di purpose of di training na to equip comptrollers wi di knowledge and skills wey dey necessary to perform dia duties effectively and efficiently during di census exercise.

Di training go dey practical-oriented and e go focus on specific tasks and skils wey comptrollers require to execute dia assignments.

Di training bin start on 7 March 2023 and end on 9 March 2023. Dem conduct am in two states per geo-political zone of Nigeria.

For southwest geo-political zone, na Oyo and Ondo be di states wey host dia neigbours.

Lagos and Ogun join Oyo State, while Ekiti and Osun join Ondo State.

Why dis 2023 Census dey important?

Di May 2023 National Housing and Population census dey come 16 years after di last one dem do for 2006.

For dis census, Barika Nwineh explain say NPC enumerators go count di number of houses and pipo wey dey each households for di 36 States of di Federation and di Federal Capital City Abuja.

Nwineh explain say di reason why goment dey do census na:

1. To know di number of pipo for a region.

2. To generate data wey go help dem plan and develop health, education, economic policies, build infrastructure like roads and oda public services wey goment dey provide.

3. To estimate or predict di possible economic needs of di pipo.

4. To determine di number of employed and unemployed citizens so as to know di standard of living for di country.

She add say if pipo no participate for census, e get implications wey dey affect many tins becos if dem no count pesin or pipo give false information during di census:

A. E go make goment no go get accurate statistics to work with.

B. E go deprive members of di household if dem lie about di total number of pipo wey dey di household as gomemt no go properly plan for dem.

"Dis naim na make e dey important for evri member of di household to dey captured by di enumerators." She tok.

She say dis census go take a different shape as e go dey digital and so e go dey more effective pass do oda census dem don do before.

"Dis na becos we dey do factual counting. We go count as we see you. We no go count who no dey.

"And make I emphasise say di census for 2023 no go be di one wey pesin need to move from point A to point B.

"Wia eva you dey na dia dem go capture you and becos e dey digital, if you dey live for Port Harcourt but as at di time of di census taking, you dey Lagos, na for Lagos dem go count you.

"So we dey assure Nigerians say come 2023 National Housing and Population Census, e go be one of di best Nigeria don ever get."

“Census data dey needed for national planning, local planning, Statewide planning and regional planning. But dis census dey long overdue.”

Na so Chizor Wisdom Dike wey be lecturer for di Department of Sociology Rivers State University tok.

E say pesin no fit remove Census from di national planning process becos anytin wey dey happen to pipo for di society first dey registered in numbers. So Census na di practice of di science of numbers.

Dike say, "wen we know how many we dey for di country we go fit know how to plan to cater for dat population.

"E go also help us know wetin dey happen to di population becos Census no be just numbers, but e go give you di aggregate of di ratio between males and females...

"... and tell you di settlement patterns in terms of di places you get a lot of pipo (Population density) and wia less pipo settle. So we need am."

"Again as e concern data demographics and development, link dey. If you look Nigeria today, you fit use di census figure to know wetin dey happen for a particular State.

"For example way back 10 years ago, wen we tok about out-of-school children for di North, we bin know say dis out-of-school children go become raw materials for terrorism or banditry and all dis arise from di population figures.

"Di only challenge be say dis census dey happen for election year, wey no dey too good." E tok.