By Magnus Effiong
The National Population Commission (NPC) has insisted that the April 2023 Population and Housing Census is crucial for national development planning, job creation amongst other benefits, and therefore charged Journalists in Cross River State to step up their information dissemination roles as regards the exercise..
Speaking in Calabar during a one day State Level Capacity Building Workshop for Journalists on Effective Reporting of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, the Federal Commissioner representing the State on the NPC Board, Navy Captain Charles Ogwa (rtd), said effective reporting could help in creating the needed awareness about the exercise was was last conducted in 2006.
“Journalists can do feature stories on various aspects of the 2023 Census, giving background information on the activities, interview relevant sources and provide deeper perspectives.
“Journalists can help generate contents that will correct disinformation, distortions, wrong perceptions, misinformation and fake news.
“Articles can be written on specific aspects of the 2023 Census such as benefits of the exercise to the nation adopting the sectoral approach, for example to education, health, social infrastructure, employment amongst others,” he stated.
He appealed to Nigerians to undestand that without census, national planning could become difficult and and therefore sought the cooperation of Cross River people with NPC staff in the course of the exercise.
“Nigeria’s next election Population and Housing Census will be fully digital and will be conducted in accordance with the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for 2020 Programme on Population and Housing Censuses.
“The Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) has been accomplished using GPS-enabled PDAs Big Data and other geospatial resources such as high resolution Satellite imageries that facilitated the collection of fully geo-referenced data on all buildings and household in the country.
“If we get it right, Nigeria will not be doing an elaborate census again but will be doing update to what we would have achieved during the 2023 exercise. Population should be about people and not as number for political reason,” he stated
The Commissioner lamented inability of the State government to identify with activities of Commission despite all entreaties.
“Despite all entreaties and letters to the Cross River government, it has refused to identify with us. Support is not only about funding, support could be just coming around during our activities so as to boost the morale of the people thereby sending a message that this is a serious business,” he stated.
In his presentation, the State Director, Billy Eteng, said with a projected growth rate of 3.2 percent and estimated population of 200 million, Nigeria could become the third most populous country in the world by 2050 hence the need for all hands to be on deck to ensure the Census succeeds for planing purposes.
While commending the federal government for all the support it has so far given to ensure the March/April census sees the light of day, Mr Eteng charged both the media and all citizens to give the exercise the publicity and priority it deserves.
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