By Inusa Ndahi, Maiduguri
The Borno State Director of National Population Commission, NPC, Comrade Haruna Ibrahim, has denied reports in some national dailies that the commission has excluded six local government areas from been part of the ongoing National Demographic and Health Survey, NDHS, 2023/2024 due to insecurity.
Recall that there were media reports which claimed that Guzamala, Mobbar, Abadam, Chibok, Marte and Magumeri local government areas that were hitherto described as flashpoints in Borno State as a result of insecurity posed by terrorists may not be part of the ongoing exercise.
Making the clarification in a press statement he personally signed and made available to the media, the Borno State Director of NPC, Comrade Ibrahim said that the exclusion of the affected LGAs has nothing to do with insecurity, rather the 21 out of the 27 local government areas which were partaking in the exercise were selected on random basis.
He said, “The National Population Commission, NPC, Borno State wishes to clarify that the exclusion of six local government areas in ongoing National Demographic and Health Survey, NDHS, 2023/2024 was not due to insecurity.
“The process of selecting participating local governments and communities across the state was purely done through random sampling.
“The random selection was not only peculiar to Borno State, but to all the 36 states of the federation.
“The commission wishes to inform the public that areas such as Baga,
Damboa and Kala – Balge have already been covered.
“The commission wishes to reiterate its readiness to conduct the survey in all the selected local government areas and request maximum support from the public to ensure a hitch-free exercise.”
Our correspondent gathered that NDHS has been instrumental in providing invaluable insights that inform
evidence-based policies, enhance public health interventions, and contribute to the broader development agenda of Nigeria as a nation.
