President Muhammadu Buhari has urged officials of the National Population Commission (NPC) to justify the confidence of the government by presenting accurate, verifiable, and dependable data in the 2023 census.

Buhari gave the admonition during his accreditation by the NPC officials at his country home in Daura, Katsina State, on Wednesday.

The accreditation followed the commencement of the first phase of the 2023 census, which is the trial house listing and house numbering for the census.

“I am happy you have started the process, and congratulations. I know this will require a lot of time, skill and stamina,” President Buhari was quoted as saying in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

On his part, the NPC chairman, Kwarra, who explained the modalities and technicalities of the population and housing census to Buhari, said trial commenced with the President, following the conclusion of the training of the field functionaries for the trial census exercise.

He said the exercise would commence with the fieldwork of the trial census from July 13 to 30, 2022, in the selected Enumeration Areas and Local Government Areas across the country.

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Kwarra stated that the trial census, also known as ‘census dress rehearsal’, was one of the pre-census activities to evaluate all aspects of the census operation before the main census on a limited scale.

“It is a process in which all census operations are tested in a detailed and comprehensive manner to assess the level of preparedness of the commission to conduct the 2023 population and housing census.

“The Trial Census shall cover a total of 7681 Enumeration Areas (EAs) in the 36 States and the FCT. Six LGAs have been selected from the six selected States in the six geo-political zones of the country for full population enumeration while forty-five EAs in nine LGAs cutting across three senatorial districts were selected from each of the thirty States and the FCT for enumeration.

“The Trial Census fieldwork includes, building numbering and household listing from 13th to 15th July, 2022; validation of EA frame from 16th to 18th July, 2022; person’s enumeration from 19th to 25th July, 2022; and enumeration mop up from 26th to 30th July, 2022.

“As part of the exercise, Enumerators are expected to visit all residential and non-residential buildings within the selected Enumeration Areas and number the buildings and enumerate members of households in the buildings,” he added.

The Star