CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Census has been a reliable exercise from time from where government rely for

decision-making and aids for administration and planning. According to Robert M.

Groves (2010) Director of the United States Census Bureau;

“Just like we cannot survive without roads and bridges the country does not

function well without an updated census to distribute funds to areas that most

need them and to support community decisions and their own future.”

The increasing complexity of modern life means a greater need to plan housing

schools roads transportation and a vast range of social and economic requirement

for nation. This cannot be done without a detailed count of the population. Census is

being officially managed by some organizations or government for example the

National Population Commission (NPC).

The installation of computer in these organizations or bodies that manages census

information will assist not only in fast-recording information but also in solving

certain problems which cannot be easily resolved manually. The human resource of

any enterprises are considered to be their most valuable assets if they are properly

harnessed and are well motivated to perform their assigned tasks in such a manner as

to enhance the enterprises goals and objectives.

Therefore adequate population records will provide all the necessary information that

is associated with people which include the size of the population age structure

educational attainment labour force and socio-economic characteristics unlike in the

manual method which makes access to data and information very tedious. The

integration of different databases so that these databases can be merged and processed

together and mainly other reasons prompted the researcher to develop software for this

organization National Population Commission (NPC).

1.1 Background of the study

Census taking in Nigeria can be traced to have started from as far back as 1966 after the

colonization of Lagos by our colonial masters. Since then there have been several

attempts to count Nigeria population. However these censuses are characterized by

some difficulties and deliberate and ill-minded attempts to inflate population figures;

just in favour of one geopolitical zone or the other. This does not and cannot represent

the nation‟s image as regards to human population. As a result of this the National

Population Commission (NPC) was established using the Decree No. 23 of 1989. The

brain behind this was to have successful censuses each time and as well accurate

demographic data. It is no doubt that this Commission (NPC) was vested with a lot of

powers and functions some of which are;

To undertake the periodic enumeration of the nation‟s population through

census sample surveys etc.

To establish and maintain the machinery for continuous and universal

registration of births and deaths

To collect collate and publish data on migration statistics

To reach and monitor national population polity and set up national population

information data bank.

Unfortunately Nigeria still relies on foreign statistics population information data bank

for most of their population estimation.

1.2 Statement of the problem

There are many problems affecting the National Population Commission from

maintaining a steady reliable figures and estimates. These are the more reasons why

the researcher embarked on this research;

 inadequate manpower

 lack of equipments

 poor organisation

 unstable polity

 manual bulk carrying of data

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are summarized as follows:

 To develop computerized software that automatically stores and retrieves all

information on human population.

 To develop a reliable system that could be used in collecting data/information

on human population.

 To develop a system that will support direct access to the specific and required

information

1.4 Significant of the Project

 The system will solve problem associated with the acquisition storage and

retrieval of information on human population with ease.

 A timely retrieval of information is anticipated with efficiency and reliability.

 It will provide security to data that are unauthorized users will not gain access

to those files and fraud will be minimized in the society which will lead to

improvement in administration processes.

1.5 Scope of the Project

The major aim of the project is to design a system that will have all information about

human population and retrieving of data when ever needed in the society. It focuses on

the registration retrieval and management of information about individuals in the

society.

1.6 Limitation of Study

During the course of this study many things militated against its completion some of

which are;

 Lack of finance

 Refusal of the National Population Commission Awka to give detailed answers

and in some cases no answer at all to some questions

 This project is limited to all the data associated with census population figure

gotten from the National Population Commission.

 Due to time factor not all the commissions were reached for source of data and

information.

1.7 Definition of terms

 DEMOGRAPHY: Demography is the scientific study of the changing number

of births deaths diseases etc in a community over a period of time.

 POPULATION: Population is the total number of people living in a particular

area city or country.

 CENSUS: A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording

information about the members of a given population.

 ENUMERATION: Enumeration is the head to head count of all individuals in a

given society within a period of time.

 MIGRATION: Migration is the act of moving from one region or country to

another. It is the movement of a group of people births or other animals that

move in group from one region to another.

 ESTIMATION: Estimation is the act of making an approximate calculation of

something.

 PROJECTION: Projection is an estimate of the rate or amount something.