- Says committee necessary as threats may pose challenges to the exercise
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government has assured that the conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census will be without blemish.
The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno,(rted), gave the assurance at the inauguration of the 2023 Population and Housing Census Security and Logistic Committee, he which he chairs.
The event which took place at the Office of the National Security Adviser, (ONSA), Presidential Villa Abuja
According to him, the exercise was of utmost priority to President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, with the desire to provide the nation with accurate and reliable demographic data for policy formulation and planning for sustainable development.
He added that exercise is also in line with President Buhari’s desire to bequeath an enduring legacy of evidence based planning for sustainable development.
Monguno said due to the crucial and pivotal role a credible and reliable census data plays in planning for sustainable development, the security committee is necessary as a first step towards ensuring the peaceful and smooth conduct of the Census.
The NSA noted that in line with its mandate of generating demographic data for the purpose of development planning, the National Population Commission has over the years invested considerable time and resources planning for the census with a view to give the nation a truly scientific census data that will serve as guide for planning within the context of global economic challenges, insecurity and other human development situation.
“To this end, the National Population Commission has resolved to conduct the first fully digital census that will give the nation credible, reliable and trustworthy data which will serve as basis for driving government planning for infrastructure, security, budget allocations and development intervention agendas.
“The task before the National Security and Logistic Committee is huge. Nigeria is not only diverse in size, but also languages, residence, age and socio-economic orientation. Given the scope of the 2023 Population and Housing Census which will cover the entire country and involving the counting of every person resident in Nigeria and taking place simultaneously in every household in the country, safeguarding the personnel and materials as well as the smooth channelling of same, is imperative to the overall success of the Census exercise. “With these at the back of our minds and the desire to succeed in this venture, this Committee must be conscious of several risks factors that may militate against the successful conduct of the 2023 Census.
“The planning and conduct of a gigantic programme such as the census will no doubt come with its challenges in terms of security and logistics arrangement.
“Potential areas of threats to the census includes physical attacks on NPC staff and facilities, attacks on security personnel on census duty, inter/intra-communal violence disrupting preparatory and main census work, attacks targeting NPC databases and ICT architecture, intimidation of members of the public to dissuade them from participating in the process, snatching and destruction of census materials, among others.
“Most prominent is the issue of insecurity arising from banditry, kidnapping, armed conflicts, terrorism, insurgency and other violent crimes which poses a major challenge to the census exercise.
“However, the government has put in serious efforts to make the country safe for everyone. It is expected that with coordinated synergy by this Committee, the safe movement of personnel and materials before, during and after the census will be guaranteed because we have the confidence that with the calibre of members of this Committee, this national assignment will be carried out successfully.”
Mungonu said the government considered the wealth of experience and commitment to nation building, before carefully selecting members of the committee.
He listed their duties and responsibilities to include support, intervene in the security and logistic arrangements to safeguard Census personnel and materials as well mobilize logistic resources for the Census, devise appropriate strategies for storage, distribution and retrieval of Census equipment and materials where the need arises.
“I am delighted to state that for a robust security and logistic architecture, this Committee will be replicated in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory and in the 774 Local Government Areas of the country.”
The chairman of the Commission, Nasir Kwarra, assured that NOC attaches great importance to the work of the Security and Logistic Committee whose work, is very critical and important to the Commission in its quest to give Nigerian credible, reliable and acceptable census data for national planning.
He assured the committee of the commission’s support, saying: “We are ready to fully support the Committee in all areas to make it succeed in its assignments.
“The Commission will without delay organize workshop on processes and methodologies for the census to keep members of the committee up-to-date on the preparation for the census.
Kwarra added that inspite of all its accomplishment in the conduct of the 2023 Census, the commission has an herculean task in deploying personnel throughout the nook and cranny of the country. “Nigeria has vast land mass with pockets of hard to reach areas. With the structure and facilities of members; organization, I am confident that the Committee has all it takes to mitigate the security and logistic challenges of the 2023 Census.“
The Chairman of General Services Committee, Patricia Iyanya, said commission is at the the final preparations for a successful conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
She reiterated the need to set up Committees for collaboration in different spheres of the project specifically Logistics and Security.
“This is necessary, considering the huge number of personnel and materials that will be deployed before and during the Census exercise.
She recalled the vital roles played by the various Census Committees during the 1991 and 2006 Censuses. She added that, “It is therefore imperative to establish these Committees to address key aspects of the Census activities which will also be replicated at the State and LGA levels respectively.
“This Committee is responsible for operational plans on transportation and logistics, providing necessary administrative support and the maintenance of security during the period of Census operations. The objective of establishing the Committee is to programme and control the movement of Census personnel and materials as well as advise on the general security situation in the Country, in preparation for the conduct of the first digital Census exercise in Nigeria that will generate reliable data for national planning and development of the country.
“The Committee is to make Logistic and Security arrangements to safeguard lives, Census materials and personnel as well as to mobilize the logistic resources for the Census, and devise appropriate strategies for storage, distribution and retrieval of Census equipment and materials.
“The Committee is to seek and obtain assistance from public and private agencies, particularly in respect of transportation and accommodation facilities”, she said.
Iyanya solicituthe support and cooperation of the relevant stakeholders to drive the Census process to the grass-roots level.“