Summit Post 
… NPC Trains Stakeholders On Publicity, Advocacy
By Ernest Pius
National Population Commission (NPC), has solicit the cooperation of the State and Local Government especially traditional rulers who are the closest to the people at the grassroot to use their good offices to mobilize and sensitize Nigerians on the need to support the census.
The Executive Chairman of NPC, Alhaji Isa Kwarra, made the call on Thursday in Abuja, during a retreat on ‘Media/Public Relations and Public Speaking Techniques’ for Chairman and Federal Commissioners of the commission.
Kwarra explain that the aim of the retreat is to strengthen the commitment and capacity of participants to productively engage the media and relevant stakeholders in relation to the 2022 Census.
He said: “Census is a major operation that involves huge resources and logistics. However, the Commission believes that Census taking is a huge investment, a national project that requires understanding, cooperation and support of all Nigerians and beyond. This can only be achieved when the government and people of Nigeria are properly sensitized on their expected roles and need for their support.
“The task of mobilizing Nigerians on this sensitive and important national assignment cannot be left to the National Population Commission alone. I, therefore, solicit the cooperation of the State and Local Government especially traditional rulers who are the closest to the people at the grassroot to use their good offices to mobilize and sensitize their subjects on the need to support the census. Let me once more appeal to Nigerians to see the census as a purely statistical exercise whose purpose is for planning.
“Census taking and other mandates of the Commission are very complex exercises that require adequate skills and deep knowledge on the part of those who have the onerous task of generating policies that will guide their successful outcome.
“The human population to be counted is large and the information to be collected is numerous in view of the need to provide a wide range of data for planning purposes. There is also need to process, store and disseminate the data in appropriate format for data users. There is no way this hug task can be undertaken unless the functionaries are properly trained and retrained for his complex assignment. The conduct of this retreat is therefore a step in the right direction in boosting the media and public relations skills and public speaking techniques of these policy makers for the next Population and Housing Census.
“It is my expectation that knowledge and experience to be gained at this retreat will equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively drive the advocacy and publicity campaign for the 2022 Population and Housing Census and other activities of the Commission.
“May I seize this opportunity to assure Nigerians and our development partners that the Commission remains committed to bequeath a legacy of reliable and acceptable census to the country. With the 99% successful completion of Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) forthcoming pilot census,
the conduct of the first and second pre-test exercises, and the forthcoming pilot census,
preparations for the next census are on course,” he said.
He urged participants at the retreat, remain open to new ideas and innovation as well as be ready to suggest ways that the Commission can achieve a 100% success in publicity and advocacy in order to make the 2022 Census acceptable.
He explain that the support of the media is required in informing the people and soliciting their support for the census. Building the capacity of the top functionaries of the Commission to effectively engage the media is therefore a major step in the right direction.
In his address, the Acting Chairman, Publicity Affair Committee of NPC, Prof. Uba Nnabue, commended the NPC chairman for its true leadership and commitment to the Nigerian project.
Nnabue said: “It is my hope that at the end of this retreat our understanding of the use of the new media will be deepened. Participants will also carry out practical demonstration and role play of some of the envisaged scenarios that they may likely be confronted with in the course of our interactions with the media and other stakeholders.
“Using the right communication tool in stakeholder engagement will serve as lubricant for the successful mobilization of critical support for the 2022 census and will also help to clarify possible misrepresentations and misconceptions that are bound to occur in the course of conducting the census.
“I am confident that this retreat will offer us the platform to share knowledge and experiences on “people engagement from our various background and the additional skills that will be acquired at the end of this exercises no doubt place us in a more formidable position to function effectively as
we deploy to the field to get Nigerians involved in the 2022 Population and Housing Census.
“We will be able to forge the much-needed national consensus and handle any bias or prejudice arising from the outcome or the exercise.
“The world is in a digital age and information as the conventional method is last giving way to online real-time interaction through computers and other mobile devices. This raises enormous challenges to many of us in terms of acquiring the necessary skills and orientation to engage stakeholders in digital form”.
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