NPC Partners Media In Nasarawa State Over Census
The National Population Commission (NPC) has expressed its determination to partner with media professionals in Nasarawa State to ensure a credible census exercise in Match.
Mr. Silas Agara, Federal Commissioner of NPC in Nasarawa State made the disclosure at a one-day capacity building workshop for journalists in the state toward an effective coverage of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
Agara added that the importance of journalists to the success of the census cannot be overemphasize hence the need to have a training to inform them about the activities of the commission.
“If journalists are carry along in our activities and they understand the innovations and technicalities, the public will be properly inform.
“We started preparation more than two years ago with series of planned activities to ensure credible and quality census.
“We have had areas demarcation exercise, mock census and trial census and so many engagements with stakeholders at various levels and a time was fixed for the exercise proper.
“We have scheduled March 28-April 4 for the census exercise and we are working seriously toward making it a reality by the grace of God,” the Federal Commissioner added.
Agara added that the all areas in Nasarawa State are fully demarcated using the modern technology the NPC is well prepared to conduct the forthcoming census exercise.
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He also said that the commission trained over 1000 facilitators in Nasarawa State that would be used to train the enumerators and the training of the enumerators would be concluded by the end of February.
“Our staff were fully trained and thier knowledge upgraded in line with the first digital census to be conducted in the country,” he said.
The Federal Commissioner therefore assured Nigerians that the commission would do everything possible to deliver a credible and reliable census in 2023.
Contributing, Salihu Mohammed-Alkali, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state, lauded the commission for the opportunity to have authentic information about the level of preparedness.
The NUJ Chairman assured them that journalists in the state would effectively report the activities related to the census and would be professional in thier conducts to avoid misinformation..
The workshop had in attendence, NUJ Chairman, Salihu Mohammed-Alkali, NAWOJ Chairman, Adiza Umar, heads of media organisations in the state as well as journalists from electronics and prints media organisations respectively.
The highlight of the training includes; papper presentations by experts on the significance of population census and questions and answers session.
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