NOA Says Population Census Will Be Conducted Digitally

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has disclosed that the 2023 National Population and Housing Census will be conducted digitally to ensure credibility and efficiency.

The Director-General of NOA, Dr Garba Abari made this known at NAN Forum in Abuja on Sunday.

Abari, who is a member of the National Publicity and Advocacy Committee on Census, said the exercise would be facilitated by the use of digital technology, contrary to previous census conducted in the country.

"This is one census that is going to be different from previous ones.

"To enhance the credibility of the exercise, this census is going to be digital.

‘’In the house listing and numbering, the National Population Commission has perfected the space and got the point much beyond what google has done in the mapping.

‘’In terms of specificity and the correctness of the capture of every house and hamlet in Nigeria, the NPC has gone far beyond what google has done.

‘’We may not say that we are absolutely 100 per cent correct, but 99 per cent of all houses, structures within the enclave of Nigeria’s territory have been captured digitally, far beyond what google can provide in terms of specificity.’’

The NOA boss explained that the digitisation of the exercise would enhance credibility, ensure accurate data and respond to modern technology, in line with global practice.

"Digitalisation will enhance the credibility because there is a common template for the exercise and that is all that will be sent to the cloud.”

He said previous census exercise was looked at from the prism of one region was larger than the other; one state was bigger than another, one local government was bigger than another, and one senatorial district was bigger than another.

‘’And in the process, you miss out the most important element of the programme, which is getting sufficient data for planning.”

He said the 2023 census would be a scientific census, a digital census that would respond to the reality of today, respond to the information and technological revolution; a census aimed at bringing in credible, acceptable, open and transparent force.