Aiyejina disclosed this at an interactive media chat organised by the Commission in Benin, disclosing that while NPC shifted the date for the census to May, the coming of rains caused further delay.
He, however, stated that whenever the exercise comes up, it will not only be accurate, it will be reliable and auditable, and will mark a clear departure from controversies that trailed past exercises. He said the introduction of Personal Digital Assistant machines would eliminate human errors associated with the past.
He dispelled insinuations that the Commission had expended the sum of N800 billion before the exercise was postponed, saying: “NPC had expended N200 billion out of the N800 billion budgeted for the exercise before it was postponed.”
He added: “The postponement of the election by INEC led to the shift of the census. However, with the rainy season, the census is no longer possible at this time.
“The censuses of the past were riddled with controversies. One thing about the 2023 census is that the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari did not attempt to teleguide the Commission.
“We opted for digital census and we introduced the Personal Digital Assistant, which is deliberately configured to monitor field work.”
He stressed the importance of census, saying: “Census is for future planning and not for the present government. This is why it is important that everything is done to make the figure accurate so that government can plan well. Government needs accurate statistics to plan with scientific certitude. Nigeria can catch up with developed countries of the world if we provide accurate census figures for the government to plan.”
He urged residents of the state to make themselves available anytime the Commission is ready for the exercise, warning: “While the apathy in an election can be excused, that cannot be accommodated in a census.”
