Nigerian Population Commission (NPC), Ekiti State, has said it would deploy technological innovations to conduct accurate, reliable and transparent census in April 2023.
The NPC Federal Commissioner, Ekiti State, Ayodeji Ajayi, said this at a news conference, yesterday, in Ado Ekiti on the proposed trial census.
He said: ”The trial census, also known as ‘Census Dress Rehearsal’, is a process in which all census operations are tested in an in-depth and comprehensive manner.
“It is equally initiated to assess the scenarios that may be presented during the main census in 2023 by accessing the nine selected enumeration areas (EA) in Ekiti State.
He listed the areas to include Ado (Moferere Area), Emure (Ariyasi/Mosafejo Street), Gbonyin (Aiyekire, consisting of Iro Ekiti and Iro Ayeteju Ekiti), Ijero (Ikoro Ekiti), Ikole (Odo Oro Ekiti), Irepodun/Ifelodun (Iworoko Ekiti), Ise/Orun (AUD Street, Ise Ekiti), Moba (Ikun Ekiti) and Oye (Omu Ekiti)
He added that the trial census will hold from June 27 to July 30 to test all aspect of census operations, from planning to implementation.
The testing include logistics arrangement and management, questionnaire design and format, training procedures, fieldwork operations, publicity, payment system, data processing, data tabulations and analysis.
“The commission has intensified preparatory activities deploying technological innovations on a massive scale to conduct a truly scientific census that will not only be accurate and reliable but, also transparent and acceptable to all Nigerians.
“As you are aware, the commission has carried out the demarcation of the entire land mass of Nigeria into small enumeration areas that can be covered by a team of enumerators, and carried out the first and second pretests to test census instruments.
“In line with the approval of the Federal Government, the trail census will be conducted from June 27 to July 30, 2022 in three local government areas in each of the three senatorial districts.”