Preparations for 2023 census intact, says NPC commissioner

Mr Benedict Ukpong, Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission (NPC), Akwa Ibom, has said that preparations made for the success of the 2023 housing and population census are still intact.

Ukpong who made the statement during a meeting with newsmen in Uyo on Tuesday, said that grounds already gained for the conduct of the exercise would be safeguarded.

According to him, the postponement of the census does not mean that all the preparations made ahead of the exercise have been jettisoned.

”The commission is safeguarding all the preparatory data gathered ahead of the exercise by ensuring that they don’t become obsolete.

”We are doing everything possible to sustain and reinforce all relevant activities preparatory to the 2023 census,” he said.

He said in planning for the exercise, the commission was more concerned about laying a solid foundation for the future.

”This mindset informed the scope and quality of arrangements that we put in place during preparation,” he said.

The commissioner said that NPC had carried out massive advocacy and publicity for the 2023 population census.

He said that the Enumeration Area Demarcation was meticulously undertaken in such a way that only an update will be required for future censuses.

Ukpong said that the results of the enumeration exercise were currently being used by government agencies across the country.

”Using satellite imagery, the enumeration areas were all geo-referenced with the coordinates of all the buildings established,” he said.

He said that the NPC had successfully demarcated all localities in the 31 local government areas in Akwa Ibom.

”The Enumeration Area Maps generated from the exercise are ready for use in the 2023 census in the state,” he said