FACT CHECK: Is NPC recruiting adhoc staff for 2023 census?

A WhatsApp message has surfaced recently suggesting that that the National Population Commission (NPC) is currently recruiting adhoc staff ahead of the 2023 national population census. Full text: “Please if you wish to apply as Adhoc Staff for the 2023 Nigerian Population Census by the National population commission, this is the link; “https://recruitment.adhoctrial.nationalpopulation.gov.ng/nin “You MUST […]

A WhatsApp message has surfaced recently suggesting that that the National Population Commission (NPC) is currently recruiting adhoc staff ahead of the 2023 national population census.

Full text: “Please if you wish to apply as Adhoc Staff for the 2023 Nigerian Population Census by the National population commission, this is the link;

“https://recruitment.adhoctrial.nationalpopulation.gov.ng/nin

“You MUST have your National Identification Number (NIN). Please share with Family & Friends.”

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Verification

Daily Trust verified the message to know how recent it is and found out that it is an old message that has just resurfaced over the weekend and forwarded to Whatsapp users.

Daily Trust noticed that the message has been “forwarded many times” one of the innovations by WhatsApp to indicate that the message has been circulated widely.

Furthermore, our correspondent reached out to the National Population Commission to verify the authenticity of the message, of which the commission debunked the claim.

An official of the commission said, “The commission had announced recruitment for ad-hoc staff in May for the trial census to conduct that would hold this month, so that’s the one currently being recycled as selections have already been made. It’s not true.”

Subsequently, Daily Trust tried to verify the link to the application and found out that the link is a dead one, which validates the statement from the NPC.

In fact, NPC has even commenced the trial census in preparation for the 2023 general housing and population census.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, recently, Chairman, NPC, Nasir Isa-Kwarra, disclosed that the trial census would run from June 27 to July 30, 2022, with coverage of about 7,718 enumerated areas.

He noted that the outcome of the 2022 trial census would not form the basis of the 2023 census, adding that the trial census is a ‘census dress rehearsal.

Daily Trust reports that the NPC had revealed plans to hold the national population census on April 2023; a month after the general elections scheduled for February and March by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Nigeria is in dire need of a national census as the current data in use by the country are obsolete, as such, the need for a census would provide more accurate data for national planning.

This Fact Check is produced in collaboration with the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD)