NPC Borno Commences Enumeration Area Demarcation in Biu LGA, Solicits For Stakeholders Support

National Population Commission (NPC), Borno State has commenced Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) in the state in Biu LGA deploying sophisticated technology methodology to carry out the EAD towards achieving full Geographic Information System (GIS) compliance.

The commission was also constantly updating and improving its methodology to enable data collection in a more efficient user friendly manner in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC Registration Area (RA) boundaries.

The Federal Commissioner NPC Borno and Yobe States, Alhaji Mohammed Buba Makkau who stated this Thursday at a press briefing held in his office in Maiduguri added that for the exercise, the commission has put in place adequate logistics arrangement for effective deployment of personnel and materials in the selected LGA.

He further solicited for the support of the local government council , community leaders and traditional rulers as well as the state government and other stakeholders to assist and support the exercise and its personnel to carry out the exercise successfully.

The Federal Commissioner who was represented by the State Director, NPC, Borno State, Alhaji Bukar Gajiram said the EAD exercise was not the enumeration of persons living in the country and its outcome will not in any way determine the population of any community, local government or state. It was just the division of the country into rural geographical areas to facilitate enumeration.

The commissioner noted that it was in recognition of the significance of the exercise that the commission adopted a meticulous and gradual approach to the EAD exercise to carry out a periodic stock taking on the quality of the job executed and personnel involved in the field work consistently reviewed.

He added that each phase of the EAD activity will be preceded by a Review Training of Trainees workshop to review actual work done and update as well as refresh the Facilitations and Technical personnel in readiness for the training of Field Officers at the state levels before the actual field work continues.

Mohammed recalled that the commission had previously demarcated 34 LGAs in all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory FCT Abuja under the previous EAD, pointing out that, the next EAD will take place in 16 LGAs in 16 states of the federation and FCT Abuja. Among the selected 16 states, Borno and Adamawa States are from the North East Zone.

According to him, at the end of the EAD exercise, the commission would have successfully demarcated 103 LGAs and the remaining 671 LGAs will be covered under the subsequent EAD programme as a 52-man Demarcation Team consisting of 40 Demarcators, 10 Supervisors and 2 Quality Control Assistants have been recruited for each of the 16 states and the FCT and will be trained from 1-3 March, 2018 while the actual field work will commence immediately till 24th March, 2018.

"To us at the commission, the significance of the EAD exercise goes beyond the conduct of census. We plan to establish and maintain a national frame including locally list and house numbering for house censuses and surveys in line with the mandate of the commission under section 24 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

" It is our expectation that after the present Demarcation activities are fully completed what will be required for house censuses , will only be updating. More significantly, the EAD frame will be a great resource for NGOs, Research Organizations and other bodies world wide both as direct source or frame for socio economic surveys," Mohammed said.

He also lamented that the commission was faced with security, financial, personnel and mobility challenges in the discharge of its duties or responsibilities in the state.

The State Director, Bukar Gajiram in his vote of thanks appreciated the media coverage of the NPC activities and urged the media to continue to support the commission activities and also enlighten the public on its activities.