Army pledges to employ armed forces for census

The National Population Commission in Nigeria has been told by the Nigerian Army that it will be able to deploy troops during the census in 2023.

It was stated that this was done to make it possible for the commission to successfully carry out the upcoming census.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, made the commitment on Thursday during a courtesy visit to the Army Headquarters led by the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Kwarra, who was accompanied by the Board of Commissioners and Directors.

This information was provided in a statement that was issued by Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, who is the Director of Army Public Relations.

In it, it stated that “The Army offered continuing support to the National Population Commission in order to enable it to conduct the impending 2023 census successfully.”

“Expressing the readiness of the NA to support the commission in its attempt to conduct the 2023 census, the COAS expressed assurance that the NA would provide requisite support to the commission through the deployment of troops and appropriate security to guarantee the successful execution of the exercise,” which translates to “the COAS gave assurance that the NA would provide requisite support to the commission through the deployment of troops and adequate security to ensure the successful conduct of the exercise.”

Onyema added that the COAS had assured him that the commission’s staff would have access to barracks located all across the country.

“The NA would give necessary protection and support to the personnel of the commission and free access to NA Barracks across formations and units,” Lagbaja was quoted as adding.

Earlier, Kwarra mentioned that the NA is a major player in the process of conducting the upcoming census in 2023, which is why it is necessary to inform the COAS of the progress that has been made in preparation for the upcoming census.

During the course of the exercise, he asked for the military’s assistance in a variety of areas relating to security.