Nigeria’s federal government through the National Population Commission (NPC) has signed a N85 billion deal with Nigeria’s leading integrated technology brand, Zinox, for the supply of the tech components and other accessories for the 2023 national census project.

A statement issued last night by Zinox Technologies, stated the contract justifies President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s commitment on local content promotion. The contract was recently awarded after ratification by the Federal Executive Council (FEC)

Zinox, which has already commenced supply of the first batch of about 100,000 units of the Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) devices required for the nationwide enumeration, emerged the undisputed and preferred technical partners for the exercise after scaling a rigorous bid process involving other local and international competitors.

Zinox stood out in the intense series of background checks conducted to affirm the capacity, experience, integrity and ethical standing of the bidders, with the technology giant also meeting the rating as an indigenous technology powerhouse with global connections which has consistently enjoyed the confidence of leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and other tech heavyweights the world over.

This earned it an overwhelming endorsement by the federal government for the project. Also, to its credit is the fact that it was Zinox that rescued the nation’s voter registration exercise in 2006 and 2010 when big foreign tech companies contracted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could not deliver as scheduled.

Zinox used its Z-Pad smart device to lay the foundation for Nigeria’s digital democracy upon which INEC is building on today. The smooth execution of the over $200m INEC contract in 2010 added impetus to the profile of Zinox as a strong indigenous company with capacity and competence

Meanwhile, chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, said that the company has built a system of integrity and a record of excellence, both in Nigeria and internationally, noting that until there was a credible data census figure, the country cannot plan well.

Also, managing director, Zinox Technologies, Mrs. Kelechi Okonta, said: “It is a privilege for the federal government to consider us among many other companies in the world. They know we have the capacity. We are deploying all our resources to make sure it is successful.”

The 2023 census, scheduled to hold between March and April, will be the fifth to be conducted by the Nigerian government since independence in 1960 and it is coming 17 years since the last edition which was held in 2006 under the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo