FG inaugurates census security, logistics committee

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

In its determination to ensure successful population and housing census in the country, the federal government has inaugurated the security and logistics committee for the census.

Chairman of the committee, who is also the National Security Adviser to the President, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno, said the committee will add value to the census exercise.

Inaugurating the committee which included heads of security agencies and transport workers, Monguno said the committee must be certain of certain risk factors during the census.

“We must work to ensure that banditry, kidnapping, attack on NPC staff, security officer and communal clashes do not affect the conduct of the exercise.

“You should support, safeguard safety of officials and materials”.

He assured that the committee will be replicated in all the 36 states and the local government area councils.

Speaking, Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa

Kwarra, said the event marked another major milestone in the journey towards the first fully digital census in Nigeria.

“Census has been described as next to war and the biggest peacetime activity in terms of mobilization of men and resources and to us in the Commission the importance of the inauguration of the Security and Logistics Committee cannot be overemphasized to the operation and success of the 2023 Population and Housing census.

“The Commission attaches great importance to the work of the Security and Logistic Committee whose work we believe is very critical and important to the Commission in our quest to give Nigerian credible, reliable and acceptable census data for national planning.

“I want to assure all members of the committee of iron-cast support from the Commission. We are ready to fully support the Committee in all areas to make it succeeds in its assignments.”

He said the Commission will without delay organize workshop on processes and methodologies for the census to keep members of the committee up-to-date on the preparation for the census.

R-L: Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu and CBN Deputy Governor, Dr. Ade Shonobi, during the INEC Chairman’s visit to CBN governor for the preparation of the forthcoming February 25th General Election, yesterday in Abuja.