The National Population Commission (NPC) has reiterated its commitment to conducting credible and acceptable 2023 population and housing census.
Alhaji Muhammad Usman, the Federal Commissioner of NPC in Niger, said this during a news conference in Minna on Monday.
He said that the postponement of the exercise had nothing to do with the unpreparedness of the commission as it was fully ready to conduct reliable, credible and acceptable census.
Usman noted that the census would be completely digital, transformative and that the commission was restrategising and awaiting further directives to proceed with the process.
The commissioner further said that the commission had been directed to continue with all activities, especially sensitisation, mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation of the key processes.
He, however, said that the exercise would not include any aspect of religion and ethnicity, rather the questionnaire would basically be on demographic socio-economic characteristics.
According to him, religion and ethnicity will create unnecessary tension, cause needless controversy and divert attention from the raison detre of census data meant for national planning and development.
“Questions do not include any aspect of religion or ethnicity, but the census is to count all Nigerians without exception,
”It must be underscored that the access to facilities and infrastructure which will be engendered by accurate and reliable census will not include one’s ethnic group or religious affiliation,” he said.(NAN)
