…warns against screening census candidates based on sentiment
The National Population Commission (NPC), Anambra State has charged recruitment review team to be thorough while screening prospective ad-hoc staff for the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
Federal Commissioner representing Anambra in the commission, Mr Chidi Ezeoke gave the charge on Wednesday in Awka during a two-day training workshop for state and local government area recruitment team for the census.
He urged the recruitment team to ensure only qualified persons were recruited, blaming the state’s accountant, Mrs Theresa Okeke recently strangled to death by her step son who was also an ad-hoc staff during the trial census for lack of indept screening.
He said, “You must be thorough. Don’t screen candidates based on sentiment or that he or she is your brother, sister or friend. Anambra is now a reference point where violence thrives because we lost our staff during the process.
“If those who applied for the trial census were thoroughly screened, maybe we would not have lost our accountant. Don’t give in to pressure, because it’s the same pressure that led to engaging a murderer in our midst and I wouldn’t want that to happen again.
“I have to be here physically to emphasize on it. You at the local government know these people more than we do. You must ensure those you’re going to screen are qualified because we’re going to take responsibility of each of them.”
Also speaking, State Director, NPC, Dr Joachim Ulasi said the commission has received over 12,000 applications in the state as at Nov. 26, saying Anambra has the highest number of applicants in the Southeast.
He said a total of 66 personnel would be trained during the exercise that would last for 60 days across the 21 Local Governments Areas of the State.
