By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Community leaders in Ihiala town, a Local Government Area of Anambra State has assured the 1,500 workers slated for next month’s National Population Census head count of their security.

According to the communique issued at the end of a strategic meeting with officials of the National Population Commission (NPC), Presidents-General and Traditional Rulers in the council area, a breakdown of the number shows that 1,082 are enumerators, 232 are Supervisors, 78 Field Coordinators, while 109 are Facilitators and members of the Technical Team.

The meeting which was held at the instance of the Ihiala Local Government Area Training and Field Coordinator, Mr Chibuzor Igboanusi, on Saturday came up with some resolutions which include:

“It is our responsibility to ensure that the officials who will work in our localities are provided with a place to stay within the locality, kept secured, provided for and afforded with enough logistics so they will be in good stead to carry out a thorough and complete counting in our areas.

“Each locality must appoint persons from their area who will take the Enumeration Officers around. Such Guides must know the Area, the Houses, the Families and the occupants well.

“Fundraising shall be done at LG, Ward, Town and Village levels to ensure a hitch free exercise. Calls shall also be made for people to volunteer their accommodation, transportation, feeding and other logistics support for the officials. Others can also volunteer their time and services in support.

“Localities with security challenges must find a way to arrange a truce, ceasefire or at least broker a security passage window within the census period to ensure a peaceful and calm atmosphere for both the locals and the officials to deliver a successful campaign.

“Adhoc Staff Training is coming up in seven centres in five localities of the LGA and each locality is to ensure that they adequately provide for the trainers in their areas in terms of accommodation and other logistics.”