To prepare for the first entirely digital census in 2023, the National Population Commission will start a trial census in Anambra State on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday at the Federal Commissioner’s office in Awka, the state’s representative, Chidi Ezeoke, said the exercise would take place in all seven of the designated towns, which are Akwukwu, Awka-Etiti, Alor, Nnokwa, Nobi, Oba, and Ojoto in the state’s Idemili South Local Government Area. The “census dress rehearsal” exercise, according to Ezeoke, is an important step in preparing for the major census, which is scheduled for April 2023.
To perform the exercise in the aforementioned Local Government Area of the state, he continued, the commission has trained 1,146 enumerators and local government supervisors. The commissioner stated that to assess readiness and fitness for the real census in 2023, a trial would be undertaken in each of the 7,718 selected enumeration districts across the nation. He explained that the test will give the commission the chance to evaluate each step of the census operations.
From planning to execution, logistical management, questionnaire design and format, training protocols, fieldwork operations, publicity, payment system, data processing, data tabulation, and analysis are all included in his view. The Chairman of the Commission, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra, has put in place intricate arrangements for Advocacy and Publicity, he continued, adding that the cooperation and support of the stakeholders and the general public are essential for the successful conduct of the Trial Census.
During the media briefing, Dr. Joachim Ulasi, the State Director of the NPC, Folami Muka, the State Coordinator for the Trial Census, and members of the Commission’s staff were present.
