The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced training of its staff for the First Phase of the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) aiming at producing incontrovertible figures in the proposed 2016 Census.

In his opening remarks at the ceremony, which held in Akwanga, Nassarawa State, Chairman of the Commission, Chief Eze Duruiheoma said: “The EAD project constitutes the foundation on which the entire proposed census architecture stands.”

“In the pre-census period, the total number of EAD and its distribution are required for census, planning particularly the development of personnel, logistics and material for the pre-test, trial census, the main census and the Post Enumeration Survey,” he said.

While explaining that the EAD exercise is not the enumeration of persons living in the country and that its outcome will not in any way determine the population of any community or state, Duruiheoma appealed to local government councils, traditional institutions and communities to support the commission in carrying out the 2016 Census AED by allowing unfettered access to facilities and places to be demarcated.

“However, the Commission will want to make a passionate appeal for stakeholders to refrain from undue intervention in the EAD programme. The staff should be allowed to carry out their duties professionally and give to the nation an EA frame that will form the basis for a professional census,” he said.

Duruiheoma said EAD is just the division of the country into small geographical area to facilitate enumeration, adding: “To us in the commission, getting the 2016 Census EAD right is not an option but an absolute necessity in the quest to deliver to the nation an accurate, reliable and acceptable census.”

Highlighting other efforts of the commission towards conducting world standard census, Chief Duruiheoma, said: “A Master Trainer Refresher Course was concluded last week and this is being followed by the Training of Trainers which commences today and will last for two weeks.

“The states level training will take place from 16th November to 1st December 2015.

“This will be followed by field from 2nd to 15th December 2015 in the seven local government areas in the six geopolitical zones and the FACT.”

He listed the local governments to include: Sokoto North, Gombe, Chanchaga in Niger State, Ideato South in Imo State, Ede North in Osun State, Oron in Akwa Ibom State and Kwali in Abuja.

Duruiheoma hinted that methodology for the census is designed to achieve full Geographic Information System (GIS) compliance.

“The Commission will use full image map coverage of the whole country to ensure that no area is left un-demarcated,” he added.

While declaring the training open earlier, Nasarawa State Governor, Alahaji Tanko Al-Makura, noted that the proposed 2016 Census will put to rest controversy over the last one, adding that the figure released by the commission for the population of the State was wrong, however, contested at the tribunal which ruled in favour of his state.

Represented by his deputy, Mr. Silas Agara, the Governor called for purposeful cooperation of NPC with the state towards 2016 census that is hopeful to produce true population figure of the State and indeed Nigeria at large.

•Photo shows Eze Duruiheoma.