By Fortune Eromosele
Ahead of the 2023 housing and population census, the National Population Commission, NPC, has assured a disability-inclusive exercise.
Chairman of the Commission, Nasir Isa-Kwarra, gave the assurance when he received a delegation from the Albino foundation at the Commission’s meeting room in Abuja.
He further assured of disaggregated data for people with disability and the albinism community, stressing that all Nigerians will be counted, including where they reside.
His words, “All exercises we’ve carried out so far, we included people living with a disability. And that includes members of the albinism community. Also, when we do our major recruitment, whether it’s ad hoc or permanent, I assure you to include members of the albinism community.
“We would soon open our portal for the recruitment of the ad hoc staff, we assure you that members of your community that apply and we find suitable, we are going to recruit them to be part of the main census exercise.
“We’ve already captured the needs of people with disability including the albinism community and we will produce disaggregated data. Not just of the members of the albinism community but where they reside, because it’s a population and housing census.
“We will partner with you and create that capacity other African countries haven’t created. We want to conduct a census that leaves no one behind, because every Nigerian count, and we would count every Nigerian.”
In his remarks, the Founder and CEO of the Albino foundation, Mr. Jake Epelle, commended the Commission for taking Nigeria from an analogue to a digital census.
This is even as he tasked the NPC Chairman to as much as possible, make the 2023 census a disability-inclusive exercise.
He said, “It’s laudable and commendable what the NPC has done with the digital resources at their disposal, and making the coming census a digital one. We are here to lend our support and also ask for partnership and collaboration with the Commission to ensure we have a disability-inclusive exercise.
“Our job is to help you based on partnership, respect, and your approval, we will not lawn anything over you. I want you to know that we will serve as your servants. This is all to ensure we have our data in a disaggregated manner.”
