The National Population Commission (NPC) has received a steadfast commitment of ongoing assistance from the Nigerian Army (NA) in ensuring the successful execution of the upcoming 2023 census.
Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, conveyed that Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (CoAS), made this assurance on Thursday, August 10, 2023. The occasion was a courtesy visit by the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Honorable Nasir Isa Kwarra, along with the Board of Commissioners and Directors, to the Army Headquarters in Abuja.
In expressing the Nigerian Army’s determination to support the commission’s efforts for the 2023 census, the CoAS affirmed that the necessary assistance would be provided by deploying troops and ensuring ample security measures to facilitate the smooth conduct of the census. General Lagbaja stated, “The Nigerian Army will offer comprehensive security and backing to the commission’s personnel, granting unrestricted entry to NA Barracks across various formations and units.”
During the visit, Honorable Nasir Kwarra extended his congratulations to the Army Chief on his appointment and commended the Nigerian Army’s strides in addressing the nation’s security challenges. Emphasizing the Nigerian Army’s pivotal role in the upcoming census, he highlighted the importance of keeping the CoAS informed about the progress in preparations for the census. He appealed for collaboration between the military and the commission in areas related to security during the census exercise.
Honorable Kwarra emphasized that the NPC, as a constitutional body vested with statutory authority, is tasked with the collection, analysis, and dissemination of population and demographic data within the country. He noted that the commission had taken the fundamental step of enumerating and demarcating the entire nation into smaller units. The purpose of this demarcation, he explained, is to facilitate strategic planning of both human and material resources to be allocated to specific regions for census purposes.
