From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri 

National Population Commission (NPC) said the forthcoming national census would capture internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their camps within the nation’s territory and repentant insurgents/terrorists kept in special holding facilities in Borno State. 

NPC State Director, Kaxhalla Yerima, disclosed, yesterday, at a capacity building workshop organised by the commission for journalists for effective reportage of the population census. 

“We will captured every Nigerians whether in their homes or at the IDPs camps, including those who have repented,” he said. 

He said the commission has upgraded its data collection process, adding that technology will be deployed in enumeration and other processes for accurate census data. 

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He said the workshop was organised to sensitise and build the capacity of journalists in the state to ensure effective reportage of the coming population census. 

He explained population census was not only designed to ascertain the number of people and houses in a nation but essential for national planning

Papers were presented on the history of population censuses in Nigeria and Structure and Mandate of NPC, technology innovation in the 2023 population and housing census and how to generate media contents on the 2023 population and housing census. 

The census is scheduled to hold in April, according to NPC. 

The last population census was conducted in 2006 and Nigeria was estimated to have 140 million people. The census showed that Kano is the most populated state having 9.4 million people while Lagos, the second populated state has nine million people.