Collins Nnabuife, Abuja
Ahead of the 2023 population and housing census, the National Population Commission (NPC) has engaged bloggers and social media influencers in order to get the buy-in of Nigerian youth to participate in the exercise.
The Chairman of NPC, Nasir Kwarra while delivering his speech at the Interactive Workshop with Bloggers and Social Media Influencers in Preparation for the 2023 Population and Housing Census which was organised by the NPC and the National Orientation Agency (NOA), said the estimation that over 60% of Nigeria’s population is under 30 has not been captured in census exercise.
“The estimation that over 60% of Nigeria’s population is under 30 and a good part of this under-16 demographic has never been captured in a census exercise.
“Moreover, that demographic constitutes the greater part of Nigerian citizens who are active internet and social media users.
“It therefore follows that, for the forthcoming 2023 National Population and Housing Census to succeed in covering the youth population, there must be clear, deliberate and effective sensitization and mobilization strategies designed to reach that important youth segment of our society”, he said.
Kwarra who was represented by his Special Assistant, Husaini Isiyaku said a strategy should, of necessity, mainstream and robustly engage the social media and its influencers towards achieving youth inclusiveness in the census figures.
He said the foregoing underscores the need for an assemblage of bloggers and social media influencers to help them appreciate the important roles they could play in mobilizing the youth population to participate in the 2023 census.
“This bloggers and social media influencers’ conference is proposed on the premise that the buy-in of such strategic persons would manifest in their promotion of the census on their various platforms and ultimately translate into massive youth participation in the census”, he said.
On the Objective of the Workshop, the NPC Chairman said it is expected to “heighten awareness among Nigerian bloggers/social media influencers on the importance of the 2023 Nigeria Census.
