The biometric system technology will be employed during the 2018 census by the National Population Commission (NPC), to capture the facial impression and fingerprints of persons.
Federal Commissioner, NPC, Bayelsa State, Mrs. Gloria Izonfuo,who disclosed this in Yenagoa during the flagging off of the third phase of the Enumeration Area Demarcation, EAD, slated to take place in the selected Nembe Local Government Area, described EAD as the foundation on which the entire census architecture stands.
According to Izonfuo, the commission’s resolved to use biometrics in the census was to forestall any hope of people gaining advantage through manipulation of EAD cannot be realized as only persons physically seen will be counted and biometrics taken.
She said: “To us in the Commission, the significance of the EAD exercise goes beyond the conduct of the 2018 Census as we plan to establish and maintain a national frame including locality list and house numbering for future censuses and surveys in line with the mandate of the Commission under Section 24 of the Third Schedule of the 199 Constitution products from the EAD exercise can also be used by NIPOST to generate zip codes for country.
“It is in this regard that the Commission is deploying sophisticated technology in carrying out the EAD. The methodology for the census is designed to achieve full Geographic Information System, GIS, compliance. High resolution imagery will be used to ensure that no area is left undemacated or no place duplicated, the methodology been adopted will not allow for the creation of imaginary EAs and any attempt to include non-existent households and buildings will be detected through satellite imagery.”
She therefore solicit the assistance and cooperation of the local and traditional institutions and communities in carrying out the exercise by allowing unfettered access to facilities and places to be demarcated, and urged stakeholders to refrain from undue intervention in the EAD project.