NPC warns Nigerians against migrating for census

• Says offenders risk seven-year jail term
• Promises unemployed youth enumerators will get letters of introduction

The National Population Commission (NPC) has warned that anyone who migrates from his/her place of residence to place of birth with the aim of swelling the 2023 population and housing census figure, risks going to seven years imprisonment upon conviction.

The commission said that it observed that in the previous exercise, there was migration of people, saying the census data, which ought to be used for development plan, would be distorted owing to such movement.

Besides, it said that any unemployed youth that participated in the census as enumerator would get a letter of recommendation that he/she could use to secure employment in the future.

The Federal Commissioner representing Ekiti State at the NPC, Mr. Ayodeji Ajayi, gave the warning, yesterday, in Ado-Ekiti during the formal presentation of the online e-recruitment portal for the 2023 population and housing census.

Ajayi, who allayed fears that the exercise could be compromised, said that the commission had technology that would help it drive the process and the technology is 99 per cent proof against manipulation.

He said that in the previous censuses, what gave room for manipulation was because papers were used.

The NPC boss said that to underscore the determination of the commission to conduct a successful census, the legal penalties for certain infractions would be made available to the public before the census period.