The federal commissioner representing Cross River State at the National Population Commission, retired Navy Captain Charles Iyam Ogwa has charged the state governor Prof Ben Ayade to take ownership of the forthcoming 2023 population/housing census as done in other states of the federation.
Ogwa gave the charge in his remarks at a stakeholders summit/presentation of strategy and implementation plan for 2023 population and housing census which took place at Kolanut centre on Monday.
He said, “ownership is not all about funding, government presence is not here that is why we are asking that they should take ownership of it. We are not saying the state should fund it, the federal government and development partners are already funding it,” he said at the event that was held in Calabar.
Soliciting stakeholders support towards the successful conduct of the exercise, Ogwa appealed to governor Ayade not to be weary in supporting the exercise so that at the end of it all, the state would come out well.
“Federal government can’t do everything. The Commissioner called on all hands to be on deck, urging all stakeholders in the state to join the train in the task of providing demographic data,” Ogwa maintained.
The commissioner vowed not to leave any stone unturned in the task of providing in the commission’s quest to conduct credible census with accurate figures.
