The National Population Commission (NPC) has trained field officers for a second census test-run in 12 designated Enumeration Areas in four local government areas in Bayelsa.
The local government areas are Yenagoa, Ekeremor, Sagbama and Southern Ijaw.
The field officers will administer questionnaires in the trial census in the Enumeration Areas from December 3 to December 10.
Gloria Izonfuo, Federal Commissioner, NPC in Bayelsa said on Friday in Yenagoa that the commission conducted the first pre-test earlier to test-run the census instruments.
She said the NPC decided to conduct a second test-run to improve on its preparedness for the actual census scheduled for May 2022.
According to her, the training is an integral part of the preparation for the fieldwork involved in the exercise.
She said the second test-run was designed to train comptrollers, supervisors, enumerators and other field officers in readiness for the 2nd census pre-test fieldwork.
According to Izonfuo the pre-test is usually conducted before the actual census and is aimed at testing the methodology, questionnaires, data collection methods and manual for fieldwork, among other strategies.
She noted that in the next few days, participants at the training would re-evaluate the skills and practical demonstrations of operations in the field.
The federal commissioner explained that the exercise would deliver a truly scientific pre-test that would prepare the ground for a credible and acceptable census.
She appealed to the state and local governments, traditional institutions and communities to support the Commission in executing the pre-test by allowing unfettered access to facilities and places to be enumerated.
Izonfuo urged all stakeholders in the local government areas where the test-run would hold to allow the field officers to carry out their duties professionally for successful outcomes.
