Odimayo stated the commendation as NIMC and the members of the House of Representatives Committee on National Population held a retreat themed Identity Management and Legislative Oversight to seek areas of collaboration towards the achievement of the Commission’s mandate and foster a harmonious working relationship.

Speaking at the retreat, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, the director general of NIMC, said that the retreat, amongst many, aims at re-acquainting the committee members with the activities of the Commission as well as its mandate and mission.

She emphasised that the retreat will provide the needed environment for the lawmakers and the management of the commission to identify possible areas of collaboration and build a harmonious working relationship towards the success of digital identity in Nigeria.

Commenting on the retreat focus, Okunjimi Odimayo, the House of Representatives Committee on Population chairman, commended the NIMC DG and her team for their effort at raising the Commission’s profile within a short period since her resumption of office.

He pledged that the Committee will give maximum support to NIMC to ensure it achieves its mandate.

The retreat had in attendance members of the House of Representatives Committee on Population and management staff of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

The Commission had in April announced that the general census would commence after the 2023 elections. it will be the first-ever digitally compliant population and housing census in Nigeria.

The NPC is responsible for producing data about the Nigerian people and economy and the last population and housing census in Nigeria took place in 2006.

The total population in Nigeria was estimated at 206.14 million people in 2020, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics.

According to Deji Ajayi, Commissioner, NPC at a press conference: “The commission has intensified preparatory activities deploying technological innovations on a massive scale to conduct a truly scientific census that will not only be accurate and reliable but also transparent and acceptable to all Nigerians.

“It will be an entirely paperless exercise. No document will be brought to interview people as it will be digital. We will ensure that we have a seamless census.

”He also revealed a total of one million Nigerians would be recruited by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 national census.

The former Ekiti State’s head of service added that nine towns across nine local governments selected out of the 16 LGAs in the state, had been delineated into Enumerated Areas (EAs) to ease the trial census. He pointed out areas to be enumerated in the trial census as Ado, Emure, Iro, Ijero, Ikole, Iworoko, Ise, Ikun, and Omuo Ekiti.

Explaining the significance of census to nation-building, Ajayi said population statistics would be used by private organizations to plan for the recruitment of young Nigerians by knowing the number of the active population.

“The government will also use such statistics to plan for our youth, students, and the health needs of Nigerians. They will also know the number of senior citizens who should be catered for.”

Assuring that the exercise will be difficult to manipulate, the NPC boss said, “The biometric technology will capture your face and fingerprints and goes to the server and any similar information supplied will be noticed and expunged from the data immediately.