Buhari approves N10b, as NPC begins EAD

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved 10billion naira for the continuation of Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) in the remaining 546 local government areas of the country.
The Acting Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Dr. Eyitayo Oyetunji, who stated this yesterday in Abuja, during a press briefing on the commencement of the 10th phase of the EAD, added that the President further approved additional 4.5 billion to be included in the 2021 budget for the completion of the exercise.
He said the exercise will commence on the 5th to 29th October 2020.
The chairman said the exercise will include training and field work.
The NPC boss recalled that 228 LGAs were successfully demarcated across the 36 states and FCT in the previous 9 phases.
“I am especially pleased to announce that beginning from this phase of the exercise, a new software called the EAD PAD is being introduced. This ground breaking innovation which was developed exclusively and internally by the National Population Commission, has now made the entire EAD process completely paperless. The application supersedes the CSpro software which was previously used for capturing attribute data for the EAD.
“The new system has eliminated the sorting and printing of satellite maps before proceeding to the field.
Furthermore,/ the technology has the advantage of capturing both attribute data as well as spatial data using the same device. In addition to enhancing speed, accuracy and efficiency, the EAD PAD will virtually eliminate the hitherto humongous cost of paper and ink.”
He added that except for the introduction of the EAD PAD, it would have been difficult to undertake the EAD during the raining season.
The NPC boss also said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has entered into a special arrangement with the National Population Commission (NPC) under which the NPC is assisting INEC to create digitized maps of INEC Registration Areas (Wards) for the first time as part of the EAD.
“It is expected that the output of this collaborative effort will further enhance the accuracy and transparency of future elections.
“Added to the above, and in the face of the growing insecurity besetting parts of the nation, information from the EAD is also invaluable for security surveillance as well as crime prevention and detection. In the same vein, information on household distribution obtainable from the nEAD can be used to ameliorate the adverse effects of the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic by enabling a more systematic contact tracing and distribution of palliatives.