The Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has assured a renewed synergy between the Nigerian Army and the National Population Commission to Complete Enumeration Area Demarcation.
Lt General Faruk Yahaya made this known when the Chairman of National Population Commission, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra paid him a courtesy call on Tuesday at the Army Headquarters Abuja.
The COAS appreciated the Chairman of National Population Commission, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra for the visit and thanked him for maintaining good synergy with the Nigerian Army and other security agencies.
The Army Chief reassured the Chairman of the continuous support of the Army, appreciating him for first digital census initiative and promised to nominate a liason officer among the top Senior personal of Nigerian Army in other to have smooth operations during the Censorship.
He thanked the delegation for the visit noting that NPC is a ‘very important ingredient of national development.’
Earlier in his word, the Chairman of National Population Commission, Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra called for strong partnership between National Population Commission and Nigerian Army on maximum security of its Staff ahead of the 2023 population and housing census in the country.
Hon. Nasir Isa Kwarra stated this when he paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Army Staff on Tuesday at the Army Headquarters, Abuja.
He stressed the need and willingness of the Commission to work in synergy with the Nigerian Army in the pursuit of its mandate in the forth coming Pre- Censor exercise which will take place in June.
Honourable Kwarra averred that the job of the commission entails a lot of field work hence the need for a continuous security backup from the Nigerian Army to carry out its constitutional roles of national enumeration and demographic data.
According to him, the commission needed an enabling environment to ensure that it delivers to Nigerians accurate and generally acceptable census come 2023.
"Our job entails a lot of fieldwork and because of the current security challenge, we cannot go anywhere without the support of your men,” he said
“The methodology for the next census has been designed to produce not only accurate, reliable and acceptable census but also inclusive and user-friendly census data", he said.
"Recently, I met the Theatre Commander Operation Hadin Majo General Christopher Musa to discuss about the difficulties some of our staff encountered while penetrating into some locak Government in Borno State.
Honourable Nasir Isa Kwarra said the Commission has successfully completed the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) in the 772 LGAs out of the 774 LGAs in Nigeria as well as the 1st and 2nd Census Pretest in the selected Enumeration Areas in the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory in preparation for the 2022 Census with the outcomes of these preparatory activities re-assuring that the Commission is on course in its mission to deliver a credible and reliable census.
He commend the Nigerian Army for sacrifices made so far in combating terrorism and insecurity in the country.
He added that following the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari, for the next Population and Housing Census to be conducted this year, the present Commission has intensified preparations to give the nation the first digital census and guide for development planning.
Present at the event were Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters and Commissioners from the National Population Commission like Director