The National Population Commission (NPC) will conduct a Trial Census in six Local Governments Areas (LGAs) in six out of the 36 states in the country.
The Commission said it would engage 14,461 enumerators and facilitators during the exercise scheduled to take place between July 20 and 24, 2022.
The Executive Chairman of NPC, Nasir Isa Kwarra, who revealed this in Abuja on Monday at a briefing, said the number comprises 13,461 hired enumerators and 1,000 facilitators.
Kwarra explained that the trial census, which is also known as the “census dress rehearsal”, is another key preparatory activity for the main census scheduled to take place in April 2023.
The trial census, he explained, will test all aspects of census operations, from planning to implementation, including logistics arrangement and management, questionnaire design and format, training procedures, fieldwork operations, publicity, payment system, data processing, data tabulations and analysis.
He said the specific objectives of the trial census are “To assess the quality and the usefulness of the Enumeration Area (EA) maps that had been created; Determine the possible demographic and geographical changes that might have occurred in the EAs carved between 2016-2018 and their implications for census-taking and determine the feasibility of uploading EA maps on the census app for house numbering and household listing as well as population enumeration.
Other objectives, he noted, are ”To determine the correlation between EAD estimated population and the pre-test enumerated population; Determine the requisite educational qualification for the 2023 census’ nenumerators; Determine the appropriateness of the estimated workload on the enumerators and Determine the necessary logistics support that might be required from the states and Local Government Areas.”
Speaking on the coverage of the trial census, Kwarra said it would only be conducted in selected areas.
According to him, “One local government area will be fully covered in one State in each of the six geo-political zones and one supervisory area in three local government areas in each of the three senatorial districts in the remaining 30 states and the FCT.
“The six local government areas that will be fully enumerated are as follows: Toungo Local Government Area, Adamawa State (North-East); Daura Local Government Area, Katsina State (North-West); Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State (North-Central); Imeko-Afon Local Government Area, Ogun State (South-West); Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State (South-East) and Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State (South-South).”
In total, he explained that 7,718 Enumeration Areas have been selected for the trial census to test run suitability and readiness for the actual census in 2023.
He further explained that the trial census is not the actual enumeration of persons for the 2023 Population and Housing Census, adding that the outcome of the census will not form the basis of the 2023 Census.
“Data generated during the trial census will not be used to arrive at figures for the 2023 Census, which is going to be zero-based and from information collected in April 2023″, he added.
The Chaiman of NPC re-assured that the commission had intensified its preparatory activities in the deployment of 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.
He, therefore, appealed to state governments, local government councils and traditional institutions in the selected LGAs to extend support and assistance to the functionaries assigned to work within their domain, while pleading with the security agencies in the selected LGAs to assist in providing security for the field functionaries and materials to guarantee a successful exercise.
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