Nigerians Don’t Need To Travel — National Population Commission

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the National Population Commission (NPC) has urged citizens living away from their states of origin not to travel home for the forthcoming population and housing census.

The commission emphasized that people would be enumerated at their places of residence, adding that it had put measures in place to prevent malpractices during the exercise.

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In an interview on Monday, the spokesperson for the commission, Isiaka Yahaya, said that citizens should stay where they are and be counted where they reside because that is where they enjoy social facilities like education and health, among others.

Yahaya stressed that moving to states of origin to be counted is totally against the essence of the census. He also noted that accurate figures are essential for planners to provide infrastructure and other amenities.

The NPC spokesman further stated that the commission had a system in place to guard against malpractices that could undermine the accuracy of the census. According to him, the exercise is a de facto census that asks practical questions about those who are living, not those who are yet to be born. He added that the enumerators have not been trained to count unborn people.

The forthcoming census has generated concerns among some Nigerians, with fears of malpractices, inaccuracies, and the politicization of the exercise.

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However, the NPC has assured citizens of its readiness to conduct a credible and transparent census. The commission has also encouraged citizens to cooperate with its officials during the exercise, which is expected to take place later this year.