National Population Commission: Nigeria trial-census, wetin e mean – BBC.com
Wia dis foto come from, Barika Nwineh
National Population Commission [NPC] dey conduct wetin dem call trial-census, to prepare for Nigeria 2023 nationwide Housing and Population census.
NPC, di agency responsible for producing data about di Nigerian pipo and economy, say dis exercise na test-run or dress rehearsal for next year census.
Na 2006 – 16 years ago Nigeria do dia last official national census – sumtin wey suppose happun at least evri ten years gap.
One official say di 2022 trial-census go help NPC evaluate all aspects of di census operation before di main one go happen and dem dey do am small scale.
So why now and wetin e really mean for di citizens? To explain dis answers, BBC Pidgin tok to experts and one state director of National Population Census.
Di trial-census dem conduct happen for 30 States of di Federation and for three local goment areas dem choose from di three Senatorial districts for di States.
Director of NPC for Rivers State, Barika Nwineh, tell BBC Pidgin say di census dem wan do for 2023 na with digital, real time geocoding devices dem call PDA.
Dis trial census go help dem correct any errors wey dem see for di Personal Data Assistant [PDA] machines dem go deploy for April 2023 main census.
"Dis go be di first time any country for Africa dey do census digitally naim make we dey do di trial census to test evri instrument we go use during di actual census.
E also help us test di ability of di enumerators, dat is di pipo wey go dey operate di device to count pipo, and oda functionaries of di population."
She say di trial census wey start since from 30 June see enumerators move around some communities to number houses and count members of household for di selected Enumeration Areas (EAs).
"Di trial census involve 9 local goment areas wey we randomly chose from di three Senatorial districts; three LGA per Senatorial district across 30 states for di Federation.
Di nine LGAs for Rivers State na Khana, Tai, Eleme, Port Harcourt, Oyigbo, Ahoada West, Bonny, Ikwerre and Degema. "But we just finish di trial census for Rivers State.
Wetin we dey do now na mop up exercise." She tok.
Barika Nwineh say di trial Census bin dey successful for Rivers State as dem do am for both di riverine and upland communities for di State.
She add say wetin help dem na di cooperation dem enjoy from di community leaders wey help dem sensitise di community pipo and even go with dem to explain wetin di officials dey come do for di sample areas dem work.
“We also make some discoveries like for one community for Ahoada West, we discover say dem no get market.
“Dis go show you di benefit of census becos e go also show di needs wey dey di communities get and e go help Goment to plan better for dem. Like for dis community now, we don see say dem need market.
Also e go help Goment know wia dem go put schools, hospitals, build roads and oda infrastructure so census dey important for national development.”
Nwineh add say anoda aspect of di trial census wey be di simulation census go happen for one State dem select from each of di six geopolitical zones.
E go get full census coverage of di population for di LGAs and e dey as follows:
North East: Toungo LGA for Adamawa State
North West: Daura LGA for Katsina State
North Central: Karu LGA for Nasarawa State
South East: Idemili South LGA for Anambra State
South South: Brass LGA for Bayelsa State
South West: Imeko Afon LGA for Ogun State.
For these local goment areas, di trial census go cover di whole population so e go get full population coverage.
Di April 2023 National Housing and Population census dey come 16 years after di last one dem do for 2006.
For dis census, Barika Nwineh explain say NPC enumerators go count di number of houses and pipo wey dey each households for di 36 States of di Federation and di Federal Capital City Abuja.
Nwineh explain say di reason why goment dey do census na:
1. To know di number of pipo for a region.
2. To generate data wey go help dem plan and develop health, education, economic policies, build infrastructure like roads and oda public services wey goment dey provide.
3. To estimate or predict di possible economic needs of di pipo.
4. To determine di number of employed and unemployed citizens so as to know di standard of living for di country.
She add say if pipo no participate for census, e get implications wey dey affect many tins becos if dem no count pesin or pipo give false information during di census:
A. E go make goment no go get accurate statistics to work with.
B. E go deprive members of di household if dem lie about di total number of pipo wey dey di household as gomemt no go properly plan for dem.
"Dis naim na make e dey important for evri member of di household to dey captured by di enumerators." She tok.
She say dis census go take a different shape as e go dey digital and so e go dey more effective pass do oda census dem don do before.
"Dis na becos we dey do factual counting. We go count as we see you. We no go count who no dey.
"And make I emphasise say di census for 2023 no go be di one wey pesin need to move from point A to point B.
"Wia eva you dey na dia dem go capture you and becos e dey digital, if you dey live for Port Harcourt but as at di time of di census taking, you dey Lagos, na for Lagos dem go count you.
"So we dey assure Nigerians say come 2023 National Housing and Population Census, e go be one of di best Nigeria don ever get."
“Census data dey needed for national planning, local planning, Statewide planning and regional planning. But dis census dey long overdue.”
Na so Chizor Wisdom Dike wey be lecturer for di Department of Sociology Rivers State University tok.
E say pesin no fit remove Census from di national planning process becos anytin wey dey happen to pipo for di society first dey registered in numbers. So Census na di practice of di science of numbers.
Dike say, "wen we know how many we dey for di country we go fit know how to plan to cater for dat population.
"E go also help us know wetin dey happen to di population becos Census no be just numbers, but e go give you di aggregate of di ratio between males and females…
"… and tell you di settlement patterns in terms of di places you get a lot of pipo (Population density) and wia less pipo settle. So we need am."
"Again as e concern data demographics and development, link dey. If you look Nigeria today, you fit use di census figure to know wetin dey happen for a particular State.
"For example way back 10 years ago, wen we tok about out-of-school children for di North, we bin know say dis out-of-school children go become raw materials for terrorism or banditry and all dis arise from di population figures.
"Di only challenge be say dis census dey happen for election year, wey no dey too good." E tok.
Census suppose hold evri ten years and di last general census hold for 2006 wey give di population of Nigeria to dey over 200million pipo. But di State Director NPC Rivers State Barika Nwineh explain say e dey for Federal Goment hand to give di go-ahead before NPC go fit do anytin accoridmg to di law and census require a lot of planning and plenti resources. But she say di Commission no just dey sleep becos as part of di preparations, for 2014, NPC bin don divide di whole country into Enumeration Areas (EA) across di country wey go dey small enof for dia enumerators to cover during di census period. Sociology lecturer, Chizor Wisdom Dike add say even though e don reach 16 years since di last national census, six years after di time dem suppose hold census, goment still get way dem dey use plan.
NPC make am compulsory for pipo to register evri pikin dem born and also register evri deaths wey happen but pipo no dey always obey dat national call and so di figures dey primitive and unreliable. Dike say for di local or even State level, goment no dey take population issues as serious as dem suppose take am as no be sometin wey Governors dey tok about for dia annual budget so problem dey dia.
Di sociology lecturer observe say e no dey correct to say Nigeria no get statistics becos di National Bureau of Statistics dey keep records of various data wey dey needed. And dis date dem suppose be public information but unfortunately, di public no get access to those records/information but not Census data, e add.
"So all oda statistics data wey you need dey for di Bureau like employment/unemployment statistics e dey becos dem dey carry out studies on di mandate of di Bureau."
Dike say im get great expectations for di 2023 census and e believe say wen di proper framework dey used, di 2023 national census go determine how many we dey for Nigeria.
"We dey always say we dey about 200million pesins, 210million. Evri year we do some kain mathematics and calculations to say dis na how many we dey but we fit dey more than dis figures.
So I dey look forward to dis census so Nigeria go fit plan with real data and figures becos Census na festival of democracy.
Reason na becos evribodi wan know dia pipo from di grass roots, pipo dey busy to dey captured, politicians too dey busy. So if dem do wetin INEC dey do now, I believe say dem fit capture real figures."
Especially with di technology NPC dey deploy for dis census, Dike say na good development becos di world do go digital so dem no fit give any excuse as di software and hardware dey for dem to use so e expect say dis census go make use of di appropriate technology to deliver real value of national census.
Di Sociology lecturer also encourage pipo to fully participate and make sure say dem dey counted just as dem dey rush to get dia voters cards.
"So I go say make dis awareness build up so more pipo go dey conscious of di importance of di census and ensure dem dey counted wen di time reach."
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