IDENTIFICATION AND CONSULTATION WITH CENSUS DATA USERS The Nigerian Experience

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IDENTIFICATION AND CONSULTATION WITH CENSUS DATA
USERS The Nigerian Experience

• Presentation by Isiaka Yahaya, Ph.D
• National Population Commission of Nigeria
• At The Regional Seminar on Census Data
  Dissemination and Spatial Analysis, Nairobi,
  14-17, September 2010

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INTRODUCTION

• This presentation contains 14 slides
• Introduction
• Objectives of the presentation
• The 2006 Population and Housing Census
• 2006 Census data dissemination The journey so
  far
• Who are Nigerias Census Data Users
• Identification and Consultations Conceptual
  issues
• How the census data users were identified
• Consultation with Census Data Users
• Challenges experienced in identification and
  consultation with data users
• Lessons learnt

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OBJECTIVES OF PRESENTATION

• The objectives of the presentation are to
• 1. Examine how the data users were identified and
  consulted in the 2006 Census Data Dissemination
• 2. Consider some issues involved in the
  identification and consultation with census data
  users
• 3. Examine the challenges of census data users
  identification and consultations in Nigeria and
• 4. Proffer useful lessons that can be learnt from
  the identification and consultation of data users
  in Nigeria

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THE 2006 CENSUS BASIC INFORMATION

• The 2006 Population and Housing Census was
  conducted from 21st to 27th March 2006.
• Nigerias attempt at census taking dates back as
  1863. The 2006 Census is the fifth attempt in
  independent Nigeria.
• The exercise was preceded by series of
  preparatory activities EAD, Design of Census
  Instruments, pre-test, trial census, use of
  OMR/ICR/ OCR questionnaires.
• Administrative measures designed to enhance the
  integrity, transparency and accountability of the
  census process- 37 member board, redeployment of
  functionaries, and monitoring by international
  bodies
• More than eight hundred thousand functionaries
  collected the data. Enumeration of persons was de
  facto.
• Adjudged as the biggest peacetime activity.
• PES was conducted in June 2006

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2006 CENSUS DATA DISSEMINATION THE JOURNEY SO
FAR

• The provisional result - 29th December 2006 .
• Final figures in September 2008.
• The final figures put Nigerias population at
  140,431,790. No significant changes between the
  provisional and final figures
• Two volumes of the priority tables of the 2006
  Census were released in 2009.
• Two national workshops and six zonal workshops in
  Nigerias six geo political zones,
• publications of priority tables, wall charts,
  thematic maps and profiles and posting of the
  census products on the website
• More volumes to be produced including fact
  sheets, wall charts and profiles

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WHO ARE NIGERIAS CENSUS DATA USERS?

• Like most other countries, Nigeria has a wide
  array of census data users. These are the
  ultimate consumers of the census data. They
  include
• The Federal, State and Local Governments,
• Organized Private Sector
• Non Governmental Organizations / Civil Society
  Organizations
• Development partners
• Universities, Research Institutes and
  Professional Bodies
• Like the customers, their needs, interests and
  views must determine the process and outcomes of
  the census exercise including the content and
  branding of the census products.
• Broadly speaking, the census data users can be
  classified as follows
• These census data users can be roughly divided
  into two groups
• The census data users that largely require the
  census data for political purposes
• The census data users that require the census
  data for planning purposes, intervention purposes
  and profitability..

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HOW THE DATA USERS WERE IDENTIFIED

• The data users were identified on the basis of
  the relevance of census data to their respective
  activities.
• The process of identifying these core data users
  took the form of invitation to seminars and
  workshops and other interactive sessions.
• The letters of invitation to participate at the
  workshop is an indication of identification
• Identification of census data users is the
  compass for census data dissemination.
• Distinction between political users of census
  data and planners and its implication for
  identification.

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CONCEPTUAL ISSUES IN IDENTIFICATION AND
CONSULTATION WITH DATA USERS

• The process of identification and consultation
  with data users in Nigeria started before the
  exercise was conducted (Data Users workshop in
  September 2004)
• Identification of census data users as the
  compass of census data dissemination
• Consultation with census data users determine
  what, how and when census data are to be
  disseminated
• The pre-occupation with the political uses of
  census in Nigeria has affected the scope and
  patterns of consultation with census data users

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HOW THE CENSUS DATA USERS WERE IDENTIFIED

• The identification of census data users was based
  on relevance of activities to census data
• Distinction between fringe and core users (i.e
  those who are only interested in the absolute
  figures and users interested in more detailed
  information)
• Core users are in the human development sector
  (Education, health, gender, housing etc)
• NPC focuses more on the potential core data users
• The process of identification takes three ways
  correspondence, invitation to workshops and
  forwarding of publications (inclusion on mailing
  list).

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CONSULTATION WITH CENSUS DATA USERS

• Consultation with Census data users by the
  Commission was more with potential core data
  users
• The process of consultation started before the
  conduct of the exercise. A Data Users Workshop
  was convened in Kaduna in 2004
• The consultations with data users have taken the
  following forms
• Participation at interactive sessions, seminars
  and workshops,
• Participation in audience programmes on Federal
  Radio Corporation of Nigeria, (FRCN), Nigerian
  Television Authority (NTA) and other media
  programmes
• Meeting the customised data requests of users
• Courtesy calls by some of the data users
• Advocacy visits by NPC Chairman to some State
  Governors and National Assembly
• The listed forms of consultations were more of
  reaching out to the data users but issues related
  to data dissemination and utilization featured.

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EMERGING ISSUES FROM CONSULTATIONS WITH CENSUS
DATA USERS

• The following are the emerging issues from the
  consultations with census data users
• 1. Request for result at locality level
• 2. Request for more specific data types by some
  data users
• 3. Issues that border on integrity of the census
  were raised by some of the census data users
• 4. Some of the stakeholders called on NPC to
  enforce or encourage the use of the census data
  through advocacy and training

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CHALLENGES IN CONSULTATIONS WITH CENSUS DATA USERS

• The consultation base is very weak and the
  potentials of the process to enrich the
  dissemination are not realised.
• The reasons for this include
• 1. Excessive pre-occupation of data users with
  absolute figures
• 2. Misunderstanding of the census process by data
  users and dissatisfaction with population figures
• 3. Low level of statistical literacy,
• 4. Dearth of expertise in analysis and
  utilization of census data
• 5. Inadequate planning culture in the public and
  private sectors
• 6. Limitation of funds

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LESSONS LEARNT IN IDENTIFICATION AND
CONSULTATION WITH CENSUS DATA USERS

• Based on the 2006 Census data dissemination, the
  following lessons were learnt in terms of
  identification and consultation with census data
  users
• The need to promote more positive public
  understanding of census and its data and
  neutralize negative perceptions
• Need to aggressively pursue statistical
  enlightenment and literacy on the part of policy
  makers in public and private sector and
• The need to present the census data in a less
  technical and more user friendly manner

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• I THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERY
  KIND ATTENTION