The planned 2023 census would be conducted digitally, according to Dr. Ipalibo Harry, a Federal Commissioner who represents Rivers on the board of the National Population Commission. This will prevent fraud and double counting.
This was disclosed by Harry, the chairman of the Census Committee, to reporters on Thursday in Abuja.
According to him, every house in Nigeria and all of its visible residents would be photographed and counted as part of the country's first digital census.
According to him, the digitalisation of the exercise with available Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) map at their disposal, will ensure credibility of the exercise, and eliminate multiple counting that characterised previous exercises.
While calling on Nigerians to shun all manner of misconception and prejudices about the census, he said that this would be the first Housing and Population census in Nigeria.
“Other censuses in the past were only population counting but this one would be counting both houses and roads.
“And it is also the first digital census where every house in Nigeria is captured, the inhabitants visibly captured and counted.
“If you say you have 10 children, we will see those children who will in turn append their signatures and be counted,” he said.
The commissioner said that the 2023 census would be a paradigm shift from the old practice where people were counted manually.
Harry expressed confidence in the preparedness of the commission to deliver a credible and acceptable census that would be globally acceptable.
He emphasised the need for all Nigerians to be counted during the exercise in order to provide genuine data for national planning and security.
Harry described the 2023 census as an agenda setter for economic, security, political and national planning with provision for accurate data.