The Federal Government (FG) on Wednesday launched the security and logistics committee for the population and housing census in Abuja.
A statement on the X handle of the National Population Commission (NPC) revealed that the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the chairman of NPC, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra, inaugurated the committee.
According to the statement, the committee is tasked with ensuring the secure and efficient movement of personnel and distribution of materials for the upcoming census.
Ribadu chairs the committee, Kwarra serves as co-chairman while the membership comprises service chiefs.
“This milestone marks a crucial step towards a successful and peaceful conduct of Nigeria’s first fully digital census,” the NPC stated.
“The establishment and inauguration of this committee demonstrate a commitment to ensuring a smooth and secure census process.”
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The NPC last year said that the next population and housing census will be fully digital, transformative, green and it will differ in nature and scope from previous ones.
The Federal Commissioner of NPC in Niger State, Muhammad Usman, stated this during an interview in May 2023.
Usman explained that the commission had fully delivered on some of its determination to conduct a successful and acceptable census.
He stressed that before the postponement of the census across Nigeria, the commission had implemented 33 out of 35 activities, while the remaining two were ongoing.
Usman noted that this was a way of testing the newly procured Personal Digital Assistance (PDAs), testing and retesting of census application.
He added that the NPC is only waiting for directive to commence the census exercise, which would now be the prerogative of President Bola Tinubu‘s administration.
The NPC boss emphasised that the postponement of the 2023 census by the Federal Government had nothing to do with the commission’s unpreparedness as claimed in certain quarters.
“So far, the commission has made land mark successes, which include: enumeration area demarcation and pretest of instruments, verification of second pretest, first and second level management training, validation of census instruments, identification and mapping of special population, among others,” he said.
