The National Population Commission (NPC) has sought the collaboration of the Federal
Ministry of Women Affairs (FMWA) to enable it upgrade its data for the next population and housing census.
The NPC Chairman, Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, who led the organization’s management team, made the request during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju-Kennedy Ohanenye.
Kwarra said that the commission was at the ministry to advance the implementation of its mandate in the areas of data gathering.
According to him, the Ministry of Women Affairs plays critical role in child welfare, gender related issues, disability, as well as other social related matters.
The chairman explained that population census is fundamental to the mandate of the ministry because it provides the required demographic data disaggregated by age, sex, educational qualification, disability and others.
He added that “I wish to inform you that the NPC is also preparing for the conduct of the next population and housing census and we would like to highlight some of the preparatory activities and steps that have been undertaken by the commission.
“The commission has demarcated the 774 local government areas across the states of the federation and developed hybrid data collection application.
“We have conducted the first and second pre-tests of the census to test the enumeration areas and the questionnaire, conducted a trial census, identified and mapped special populations.
“We have done advocacy and publicity/stakeholders engagement, collaborated with other national stakeholders to finalize and commence the presentation of the final list of localities, chiefs and local government chairmen.
“The commission’s geospatial data has mapped out all physical infrastructure in the country, which include all households as well as formal and informal facilities where children and women reside in Nigeria.”
Kwarra said that NPC would also be partnering with the ministry on the planned situational analysis of vulnerable children in the country, where the ministry would be the lead implementation agency.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for reappointing some of the commission’s federal commissioners.
In her response, the women affairs minister said the ministry is ready to partner the commission, adding that both organizations would benefit from each other.
Ohanenye said that she is a person who is closer to the grassroots, saying she came in with a passion to transform the lives of the people.
“There is need to come together to fight some critical challenges confronting the grassroots. There is need for training and empowerment of Nigerians to reduce poverty. I am happy with the mission of the NPC chairman.
“We will tap from NPC’s intelligence to also improve our data, with this you will help us draw a map for our empowerment programme. We are determined to transform the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
“I am assuring you that resources to accomplish all the tasks will be judiciously used; this will happen if we organize ourselves. “There is need for planning before the resources will come, I promise, we will work together,” Ohanenye said.
