The National Population Commission (NPC) and Delta State government have lamented that the country’s inability to conduct a census since March 2006 has created an information vacuum for planning purposes which has denied the nation the benefits of comprehensive data for a comprehensive decision-making process.
They enjoined Nigerians, especially Deltans, to set all sentiments aside and make themselves available for enumeration purposes.
The charge was given at a state-level stakeholders’ summit organised by NPC, in collaboration with the state government, to strengthen collaboration and solicit the cooperation of interest groups for the successful conduct of the enumeration exercise.
Delivering his keynote address, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa stressed the importance of evidence-based and reliable demographic data for national planning and sustainable development, as against the reliance on estimated data.
Governor Okowa, represented by the secretary to the state government (SSG), Chief Patrick Ukah, said “Knowing the population of our dear state and using the data to plan for the people and future generations is a collective duty that we owe ourselves. We must all resolve that this duty should be satisfactorily carried out.
“Therefore, we should resolve to remove politics from the census exercise and consider it as a purely statistical exercise that will provide veritable data and tools for planning and sustainable development.”
Earlier, the federal commissioner representing Delta State in the commission, Sir Richard Odibo, said that the 2023 population and housing census would be the first of its kind as it would be digitised to achieve more reliable data.
He commended Governor Okowa for the support extended to the NPC in the preparatory activities for the census, especially the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD), and his commitment towards concrete improvement in the living standards of Deltans.
Sir Odibo reiterated the commitment of the commission to ensure that the quality of the data to be generated from the census exercise meet international best standards for planning and developmental purposes.
“Children born on that day will be counted, the destitute will be counted and foreigners will also be counted. So, you should be rest assured that we will count everyone but donkeys, and fish will not be counted. This census is technologically-driven.
“Let Delta State not be let down by Deltans. The government is playing its part and is supporting massively. But we must make ourselves available to be counted,” he stressed.
