Functionaries of the 2023 National Housing and Population Census have been warned to take the exercise seriously as no room would be given for failure.
The Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission, NPC, Abdulrazaq Folorunsho Gidado, gave the warning in Ilorin, capital of Kwara State, on Tuesday at the commencement of 10-day zonal training for 285 master trainers programme for functionaries drawn from Kogi, Kwara and Niger states, preparatory to the April 2023 census exercise in Nigeria.
The training programme, according to him, “is to enable them to understand the concepts, methodology, technology and processes of the 2023 population and housing census.”
He said with the commission now at the final and critical stage of its preparation for 2013, training of functionaries was crucial because all field officers for the exercise must be given both technical and administrative training required to carry out their assigned roles during and after the census.
Gidado, said the commission cannot afford to fail the country, hence the need for the functionaries to take their assignment seriously and deliver a reliable, acceptable and credible census result for the country.
The federal commissioner revealed that functionaries who fail to deliver in the course of the training period would be replaced because the commission would not compromise the set standard.
On the localities list submitted to local governments in the states for claims and objections on the 2023 census enumeration demarcation exercise, Gidado revealed that the commission had received several claims, objections and petitions from various local governments across the states.
He, however, assured that the commission was looking into their complaints with a view to addressing them.
Gidado commended the great sacrifices of all participants aimed at ensuring a successful 2023 census exercise, adding that “I am confident we will achieve a reliable, acceptable and credible census.”