By Dare Akogun
The National Commissioner , National Population Commission, NPC, Kwara State, Alhaji Razaq Gidado has warned against extortion of money or racketeering from those applying for the post of either supervisors or enumerators in the 2023 National population exercise.
According to him, reports reaching his office alleged that some people or group of people have turned themselves to syndicate and extorting money from innocent applicants.
Addressing a cross section of staff of the commission, trainees and trainers in Ilorin, he warned that anyone caught in such act risk prosecutoin and if found guilty conviction.
The NPC National Commissioner also advised would-be enumerators not to bribe or give gratification to any member of staff of the commission or any canvaser in the course of applying for the census assignment.
He assured all those that applied and qualified for the census job that they would be screened and engaged without favouritism.
A Staff of Ifelodun local government, Mr Adeyemi Jonathan who reacted to the extortion allegation denied that there was no case of extortion in his area but rather, he only contacted some communities who promised to assist the commission to provide generating sets and fill it with petrol at night during the screening exercise.
Meanwhile, the state NPC Commissioner, Gidado has appealed to facilitators undergoing training to be patient over non payment of their allowances and assured that the challenges would soon be addressed.
The facilitators expressed concern that since the training ten days training Programme began on Friday 27th, January, 2023 and would end on Sunday 5th, January, 2023, they have not been paid their training allowance.
“Officials of NPC are working round the clock to ensure that the 2023 Population and Housing Census go on as scheduled.
Supervisors and enumerators who are presently being screened at their various local government areas and wards are expected to also undergo training for the head count which will hold between March 29 and April 2,2023.
The Population and Housing Census (PHC) is meant to provide key information about person’s , households, buildings, localities and also collect data on climate change in the country.
The 2023 census is unique because it is the first time that Nigeria will be conducting a digital and paperless census, though the development of the latest technology in population data all over the country with the use of Personal Data Assistant (PDA)/ Tablet.
