By Emeka Okafor
The National Population Commission (NPC) has said no fewer than one million persons will be engage for the 2023 census exercise nationwide.
It, however, stated that those to be engaged will be recruited electronically to enable the Commission records a hitch-free exercise.
NPC’s Commissioner (representing Ekiti), Deji Ajayi, stated this on Monday while assuring that improved technology would be deployed to prevent politicians and interested elites from hijacking the process.
Speaking ahead of the trial census, Ajayi explained that the trial census would hold in Ado, Emure, Iro, Ijero, Ikole, Iworoko, Ise, Ikun, and Omu Ekiti LGAs of Ekiti State.
He posited, “Census is a massive operation that will engage one million personnel and managing such a huge workforce manually will raise huge logistical and documentation challenges.
“It is in recognition of this fact that the NPC resolved that recruitment for the 2023 census will be done electronically. This trial census will provide an opportunity to test the feasibility of the e-recruitment.”
Ajayi said, “This is the first time we will be doing a paperless census, everything will be digital to check corruption and bring about accurate data that can help national development.
“The government will also use such statistics to plan for our youths, students, and the health needs of Nigerians. They will also know the number of gerontocrats, who should be catered for.”
Assuring that the exercise would be difficult to manipulate, the NPC boss said, “Technology is open to manipulation, but NPC has gone a step higher by having an updated technological innovation that can prevent multiple registrations.
“The biometric technology will capture your face and fingerprints and goes to the server and any similar information supplied will be noticed and expunged from the data immediately.”
