Information Commissioner lauds NPC on media training workshop »

Effective and quality reporting has been emphasized as one of the underlying catalysts to achieving desired quality of media contents and information.

The Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Teddy Adegbola, disclosed this during a One-Day State Level Capacity Building Workshop for Journalists on Effective Reporting of the 2023 National Population and Housing Census at the Nigerian Union of Journalists Secretariat complex, Lokoja.

The Commissioner pointed out that a society cannot be successful without accurate and credible information, and that as part of the media ethics, journalists must be fair, timely and accurate in their reports, urging all the journalists and other media agencies to work in harmony with the NPC so as to sustain effective quality and accurate information that will enhance the credibility of the 2023 National Population and Housing Census exercise.
He commended the commission for its efforts in collaborating with media agencies to enhance quality information, urging journalists not to engage in social media to misinform the public about the NPC exercise.

In his speech, the Hon. Federal Commissioner NPC, Kogi State Chapter, Prof. H. I. Jimoh stated that favourable measures have been put in place to sustain effective quantity and quality media contents of the 2023 National Population and Housing Census.
He also said that the training is poised towards ensuring all the media agencies and other government parastatals are well informed, trained and fair in performance of their duties, adding that all the technologies needed for the exercise have been made available.

He urged the media’s readiness to go beyond the training by tracking the impacts of the training by applying knowledge gained to improve on their contributions towards sustainability of quality media contents that will add more value to the 2023 National Population and Housing Census.

Also speaking, the Chairman, NUJ, Kogi State Chapter, Come. Adeiza Momohjimoh pointed out that getting accurate data is what the NPC needs, and that the NUJ is ready to work with the commission towards achieving quality and accurate results. The Chairman added that the commission should try as much as possible to test run the technologies meant for the NPC exercise in order to avoid technical glitches.He commended the commission for its efforts in setting up the training for Journalists and other government parastatals.

The State Director, NPC, Kogi State Chapter, Mr. Ojo Abiodun Titus said that census over the years have been fraught with many challenges due to perception of many people as to what population census is or not, adding that the commission is ready to do its possible best in terms of giving accurate data to the media and the public. The Director equally urged the media to disseminate information that will urge the people to make themselves available for counting during the census exercise, stressing that the commission has sent a letter to the Federal Government to carry out census every ten years in the country.

The representative of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Donatus Okpe hinted that the NPC has always been contentious and spontaneous as Nigerian politics, adding that effective data management, and uploading help reduce inaccurate information and enhance optimal performances at the work place, adding that the NPC must be able to upload data without glitches and interference.

He also said that the commission must be fair and impartial to all because the credibility of the data made by the commission is what the Federal Government uses in measuring states and Local Government allocation of resources. He further urged the journalists to Inform the public on the significance of the training so as to enhance a credible, fair and quality information/data about the 2023 Census.