NPC Updates Enumeration Area Demarcation In Calabar

The National Population Commission on Wednesday began the update of the enumeration area demarcation in Calabar Municipality in Cross River State.

Speaking before the commencement of the exercise, the Federal Commissioner of NPC representing Cross River State, Navy Captain Charles Ogwa(retd) told journalists that the exercise conducted in phase 2 was manually carried out while the update would apply scientific method.

“All the phases done manually nationwide will be revisited using scientific method so that when the actual headcount is carried out, there will be no challenges.”The exercise will run for 28 days. Enumeration area demarcation is to group houses and call them enumeration areas to facilitate headcount. It is a pre-census activity,” he said.

According to him, the exercise has been conducted in all the 18 local government areas of the state.

He said the last time the nation conducted a census was in 2006, 16 years ago, adding that the nation’s population could possibly double within the period census was not conducted, even as the  first quarter of 2022 has been proposed for the conduct of census.

Ogwa lamented that unlike other state governments that support the exercise, the Cross River State government isn’t supporting it, adding that the United Nations is interested in the programme and willing to support it because the UN is interested in knowing the actual population of Nigera.

“The state government ought to own this exercise. In other states, governor’s flag off the exercise,” he said.