The National Population Commission (NPC) has reassured the public of the safety of its server and data as they prepare for the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that a staff of commission’s Comptroller of Chanchaga Local Government Area (LGA) in Niger State, Mr Sanusi Maigida said that the NPC server was hacked.
Maigida had cited this development as the reason for the postponement of the LGA-level training of supervisors and enumerators for the 2023 Population and Housing Census scheduled for 3rd to 5th May.
But in a statement in Abuja on Monday, NPC’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr Isiaka Yahaya said that its server was not hacked, and reaffirmed the commitment of the commission to a credible and acceptable census.
The public affairs department boss described as false and misleading the information on the hacking of the commission’s server.
“We wish to assure the public that the security of the data for the 2023 Population and Housing Census is absolutely guaranteed.
“The commission is committed to upholding the highest standards of data protection and maintaining the trust placed in us by the Nigerian population”, he said.
Yahaya explained that the visit of the commission’s Chairman, Alhaji Nasir Kwarra to the United Nations was to attend the 56th session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, which was to the benefit of the country.
He said the chairman also presented Nigeria’s statement on ‘Population and Development’ at the global event and has since returned to the country ahead of preparations for the first digital census in Nigeria.
“Over the years, it has been the standard practice for the chairman of the commission to attend the annual event on Population and Development, in line with the mandate of NPC as the coordinating agency on population matters in Nigeria.
“Consequently, the public is advised to disregard the false statement trending online about the hacking of the commission’s server and the subsequent travel of the NPC Chairman to restore the purported hacked server”, Yahaya said.
He assured of the commission’s determination to continue to update the populace on developments regarding the 2023 Population and Housing Census as events unfold.
Yahaya solicited Nigerians’ support to ensure a secure and successful 2023 census exercise.
