By 
Tayo AFOLABI
The Executive Chairman, National Population Commission (NPC), Alhaji Isa Kwarra, on Wednesday has charged the newly inaugurated Technical Working Group to ensure delivery of the first digital census to the nation.
Mr Isiaka Yahaya, Director, Public Affairs Department of the commission who disclosed this in a statement issued to the newsmen, said that the newly inaugurated group was chaired by Mrs Patience Mbagwu, the Acting Director-General.
The statement said that during the inauguration ceremony Kwarra urged the members to bring to bear their technical expertise and wealth of experience in the discharge of their responsibilities.
“Membership of the Census Technical Working Group (CTWG) has been carefully constituted taking into account the professional competence and commitment of selected individuals.”
“Mrs Mbagwu, the chairman of the Census Technical Working Group (TWG) pledged to work in synergy with relevant stakeholders to achieve a desired goal of delivering a digital and credible census.
“Mbagwu expressed the commitment of the group to giving the country a reliable and acceptable housing and population census,’’ the statement said.
She called on the members to give their best in order to take the commission to the highest level in terms of population management.
Earlier, Dr Ipalibo Harry, the Chairman of the Census Committee of the Commission, said that the inauguration of the (CTWG) was a necessary step towards enhancing the technical quality of the entire census process.
He said that other functions of the group included advising the commission on pre-census, census and post-census activities.
The statement quoted Harry as saying that “the mandate of the group included developing the methodology and instruments for the census and providing platform for articulating and coordinating the activities of the census.
“The CTWG is also to develop census logistics plans, periodically report progress and challenges to the commission and develop terms of reference and make recommendations on the composition of relevant national census committees.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while Dr. Inuwa Bakari Jalingo is the Secretary of the CTWG other members are the directors and selected deputy directors of the various departments of the commission.
Also, the Chief Technical Adviser, Dr Collins Opiyo, seconded to the NPC from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is also a member of the group.
The group is charged with the responsibility of supervising the entire census project.
They are to provide guidance on all technical issues relating to the census project and serve as a clearing house for all census matters subject to the approval of the commission.
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