By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The National Commissioner, National Population Commission (NPC) in Kwara State, Alhaji Rasaq Gidado, has reiterated how crucial the 2023 census is to Nigeria, saying its outcome would go a long way to determine the future of the country.

Gidado, who stated this on Thursday in Ilorin, the state capital, while addressing the trainees at the ongoing training programme for Facilitators, said this year’s Census exercise differs from the previous ones as it would be technologically driven, adding that the Commission is going to adopt the Computer -Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) data collection method which would largely reduce the use of paper forms.

He said: “Nigerians and the nation cannot afford to jettison the exercise as the census exercise, last held in 2006 which by international standard, should hold every 10 years.”

The National Commissioner, however, charged the people of Kwara state to cooperate with the Census officials by giving them all necessary support in terms of information required from them.

Alhaji Gidado, who described Kwara state as one of the first generation states in the federation with low population recorded for it in the last census exercise, noting that it’s through population that the issue of social and economic development would be determined.

He assured that the Commission would give all necessary and legal support to the census personnel, particularly the Supervisors, Facilitators and Enumerators in ensuring the proper discharge of their duties, while adequate security measures would also be put in place for those that would be posted to the rural areas.

Gidado commended the participants at the 10-day training workshop for their commitment and zeal, urging them to concentrate more on the training as they would end up training the enumerators whom he described as the most important census functionaries that are key to the success of the census process.

Participants at the training programme commended the Commission for giving them the opportunity to be part of the 2023 census programme, promising to assiduously discharge their duties without fear or favour.