FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello (5th left), Executive Chairman, National Population Commission Hon Nasir Isa Kwarra (6th left), Permanent Secretary, FCTA Mr Olusade Adesola with Commissioners and Management of the NPC and officials of the FCTA during the visit of the NPC officials to the FCTA.
1. The Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has pledged the support of the FCT Administration towards the success of the 2022 National Census exercise.
2. The Minister made the pledge when he received a delegation from National Population Commission (NPC) led by its Executive Chairman, Honourable Nasir Isa Kwarra on a visit to the FCTA.
3. Malam Bello reiterated the importance of the census exercise for planning purposes and advocated for a census specifically for the FCT to be carried out to enable the Administration carry out data based planning.
4. The Minister said that the FCT Administration was very conscious and also appreciative of the work of the NPC especially because of the rising growth of the FCT population of which the Administration will require accurate data for purposes of matching physical expansion with the rising population.
5. Speaking to the NPC Chairman, the Minister said “that is why we have discussed with your immediate predecessor on the need to be able to do a mini census for the FCT, while the national one is being prepared, simply because we need it for planning to appreciate the number of schools we need to open, the roads we need to build and also to even cater for the health facilities we need to provide”.
6. The Minister assured that the FCTA through the office of the Honourable Minister of State, will work with the Area Council Chairmen and all the 17 graded chiefs in the FCT, especially in the area of security, staff accommodation, transportation and field personnel, to ensure the success of National Census exercise in the FCT.
7. Speaking earlier, the Executive Chairman of the NPC, Honourable Nasir Isa Kwarra , had solicited the support of the FCTA for the success of the 2022 National Census.
8. The Chairman who commended the Minister for the tremendous transformation in infrastructure that the FCT has undergone since his assumption of office as Minister, said “Malam Bello has indeed lived up to the promise of building a new FCT that will be the source of joy for its inhabitants and Nigeria”.
9. Earlier, in a similar vein, the Minister also received a delegation from the FCT Office of the National Population Commission, led by the Federal Commissioner representing the FCT in the Commission, Honourable Joseph Shazin Kwali.
10. In his remarks, Hon. Shazin Kwali assured that all critical infrastructure and tools have been developed preparatory to the 2022 census.
11. According to the Federal Commissioner, these tools include the demarcation of enumeration areas, the development of draft census questionnaires and all other relevant documents in the conduct of the first pretest to ascertain the efficacy of the census tools already developed as well as their readiness for deployment during the census.
12. While responding, the Minister also restated the cooperation of the FCTA towards the success of the 2022 census in the FCT.
13. Also present at the event were the Permanent Secretary, FCTA Mr Olusade Adesola, the Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Malam Bashir Mai-Bornu and other senior officials of the FCTA.
ANTHONY OGUNLEYE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
4/11/2021
FCTA/OCPS/PR/274
