Key Highlights
- The NOA boss said that the population and housing census will be conducted digitally, contrary to previous ones.
- He explained that the digitalization of the exercise would enhance credibility, ensure accurate data and respond to modern technology, in line with global practice.
- He said this census will be different from the previous ones, with 99% of all houses, and structures within Nigeria’s territory captured digitally, far beyond what google can provide.
The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr. Garba Abari, has said that the 2023 National Population and Housing Census will be conducted digitally to ensure credibility and accuracy.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), this was made known by Abari while featuring on its forum on Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Abuja.
Abari, who is a member of the National Publicity and Advocacy Committee on Census, said the exercise would be facilitated by the use of digital technology, contrary to the previous census conducted in the country.
99% of all houses, and structures captured digitally
Abari, who said that this census will be different from the previous ones, noted that 99% of all houses, and structures within Nigeria’s territory had been captured digitally, far beyond what google can provide.
- He said ‘’This is one census that is going to be different from previous ones. To enhance the credibility of the exercise, this census is going to be digital.
- ‘’In the house listing and numbering, the National Population Commission (NPC) has perfected the space and got the point much beyond what google has done in the mapping.
- ‘’In terms of specificity and the correctness of the capture of every house and hamlet in Nigeria, NPC has gone far beyond what google had done.
- ‘’We may not say that we are absolutely 100 percent correct, but 99 percent of all houses, and structures within the enclave of Nigeria’s territory had been captured digitally, far beyond what google can provide in terms of specificity.’’
Digitization to enhance credibility, accuracy, and others
The NOA boss explained that the digitalization of the exercise would enhance credibility, ensure accurate data and respond to modern technology, in line with global practice.
- He said ‘’Digitalisation will enhance the credibility because there is a common template for the exercise and that is all will be sent to the cloud.
- ‘’In our previous census exercises, we allowed perhaps owing to lack of sufficient knowledge about what the entire exercise is about.
- ‘’It was looked at from the prism of one region is larger than the other; one state is bigger than another, one local government is bigger than another, one senatorial district is bigger than another.
- ‘’And in the process, you miss out on the most important element of the program, which is getting sufficient data for planning.
- “But the 2023 census is going to be a scientific census; a digital census that responds to the reality of today, responds to the information and technological revolution; it is a census that is aimed at bringing in credible, acceptable, open, and transparent force.’’
What you should know
- Recall that on March 15, 2023, the Federal Government announced that it has shifted the population and housing census earlier scheduled for March 29, 2023, to May 2023, due to the postponement of the governorship and state houses of assembly election to March 18, 2023.
- Earlier, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, had on March 6, 2023, revealed that over $1.88 billion (N869 billion) was needed to conduct the census.
