Census: NPC Holds State Level Training In Enugu Despite Sit-At-Home

The training of ad-hoc staff of the National Population Commission ahead of the 2023 National Population Census went ahead in Enugu on Monday despite the sit-at-home order of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

The sit-at-home is being observed in the Southeast region to press home the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, lPOB leader. The order came into effect after the rendition of Kanu from Kenya in July 2021.

The training exercise by NPC is for enumerators, facilitators, supervisors, among others. The 2023 national population census will hold from March 28 to April 2nd, 2023. The ongoing training began on 27 January to end on 5th February, 2023.

A participant at Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, Charles Odo, said, “We were told that the lecture will start as usual at 8:30am. We objected because today is sit-at-home. But the organisers insisted.

“Early Monday morning, we got a message that the training will begin at 12noon. Many people attended actually despite the sit-at-home. Many came late, but it was generally a success.”

An official of the commission, on condition of anonymity, said, “The training must go on because it is a nationwide exercise. It is going on simultaneously across the state of the federation. If we don’t follow it, we shall be left behind.”

Many of the participants complained about difficulties in attending the training as commercial transport operators do not operate on Mondays.

A commercial driver, who drove some of them, said, “It was good carrying them. One reason why we don’t operate on Mondays is because we don’t have passengers to carry. But today was good because I conveyed many of them to the training venue.”