National Population Commission (NPC) has called for the support of
Nigerians to enable the commission to produce credible results in the ongoing Nigeria Demographic and
Health Survey (NDHS).
The Federal Commissioner, NPC in Bauchi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Darazo, made the call at a news conference
in Bauchi on Wednesday as part of activities to galvanize support for the 2023/2024 NDHS.
The last NDHS was the one of 2018, the sixth conducted
in Nigeria, following those implemented in 1990, 1999, 2003, 2008, and 2013.
The NDHS was implemented by NPC, in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP)
of the Federal Ministry of Health.
The primary objective of the survey is to provide up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators.
Specifically, the NDHS collected information on fertility, awareness and use of family planning methods, breastfeeding
practices, nutritional status of women and children, maternal and child health, adult and childhood mortality.
Others are women empowerment, domestic violence, female genital cutting, prevalence of malaria, awareness and
behavior regarding HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), disability, and other health-related
issues such as smoking.
The information collected through the survey are to assist policymakers and program managers in evaluating and
designing programs and strategies that will improve the health of Nigerians.
Darazo, therefore, called for the cooperation of the Bauchi State Government and residents toward smooth conduct of
the survey.
According to him, the NDHS 2023-2024 survey in Bauchi State is being conducted in 41 selected clusters across 17
local government areas of the state.
He added that already, the selected clusters had been mapped and the respondent households listed during the first
stage of the survey, expected to last for a period of four months.
The NPC commissioner said that in the ongoing second stage of the survey, the interview team of nine members would
visit selected clusters “to collect and analyse data collected, as the data will not merely be numerical values; the data
must represent the health, aspirations, and challenges of our communities.
“It is important to bear in mind that the impact of the survey transcends statistics and extends the lives of every individual,
every family, and every community in Nigeria.
“In the light of these, I wish to call on the good people of Bauchi State in the selected clusters to cooperate with our interviewers
and respond honestly to the questions they will be asked as data gathered will be confidential.”
Earlier, the Bauchi State Director of NPC, Mr Hudu Babale, said the commission received 100 per cent support
from the people during the mapping exercise which was the first stage.
He said that “the call for more support is due to the fact that the interview stage is very important as personal but confidential
questions will be asked from the respondents.”
He also called on media houses in the state to help in enlightening the masses so as to be aware that no personal questions would
be made public.
