UYO
Akwa Ibom government has flagged off the 2023 Population and Housing Census, charging stakeholders, including traditional and religious institutions, Ministries, Departments, Agencies, nongovernmental organisations and the entire citizens to cooperate and support the conduct of the head-count.
Gov Udom Emmanuel made the declaration, Wednesday, at the Akpan Isemin Hall, Government House, Uyo, during the official opening of the 2023 population housing census sensitisation exercise in the state.
Emmanuel, who was represented by the special adviser, Bureau of Political and Social Reorientation, Elder Amanam O. Nkanga, described population census as a determinant for planning of essential government activities and sustainability of development in the state.
“Nigeria is the sixth most populous country in the world with a data of 216,783,381. Due to the youthful population, Nigeria is proposed to be the third most populous country in the world by 2025, after India and China.
“However, despite Nigeria’s high-ranking position on the global demographic map, its population census has been conducted irregularly and at intervals longer than the10 years recommended by the United Nations. As such, Nigeria has been denied huge benefits of comprehensive baseline data forevidence-based decision-making,” he explained.
He expressed optimism that the National Population Commission is now committed to delivering to Nigeria a reliable, credible, acceptable and successful census andfurther advised Akwa Ibom people to divorce politics from census and consider it purely as a statistical exercise that will provide veritable tools for planning and sustainable development.
He, however, commended the National Population Commission for their irrevocable commitment to ensuring that everybody would be counted in the right place, for the benefit of the citizenry of the state.
Also speaking, the deputy governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, who was represented by his director of administration, Mrs Rosemary Inyang Obong, charged NPC to involve allstakeholders in the state, including paramount rulers, traditional leaders, social groups, youth, women and entire members of the community, to ensure proper direction and guidance at the appropriate places for the success of the exercise.
Ekpo called on the citizens to immediately commence the sensitisation from their households to the larger community, adding that no incentive or payment should be expected.
He further emphasised that it is the citizens’ obligation and statutory responsibility to ensure strict adherence to non-violence directive, while also ensuring that all citizens in the state are counted for proportional equity from the federal government.
He stressed the need for all hands to be on deck in the task of sensitising the people on the need to come out to be counted, to aid secure, accurate data for successful planning and development of the state, as well as lauded the National Population Commission for bringing stakeholders together for proper sensitisation towards a successful exercise.
The special adviser, Bureau of Political and Social Reorientation, Elder Amanam Nkanga, in his remarks, stated that any modern society that strives to achieve success must pass cogent information to her stakeholders, with a view to securing cooperation and support.
Represented by the director covering duties for the permanent secretary, Mr Solomon J. John, he reiterated that the 2023 Population Housing Census Sensitisation exercise was imperative towards achieving the mandate of the NPC for the benefit of the state.
He stressed that Akwa Ibom, recognised as one of the best-performing States in Nigeria during the last concluded Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD), through the Bureau of Political and Social Reorientation, will continue to partner the NPC to achieve the desired result.
The special adviser asserted that population size, composition, distribution, and socio-economic characteristics, have decisive impact on the pace and outcome of development and called on the stakeholders, chairmen, traditional rulers, youth leaders, and social groups to ensure total participation for the success of the exercise.
He further commended the state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, for his commitment and support to the Bureau for the commencement of Population Census.
Earlier, a federal commissioner, Engr Benedict Ukpong, appreciated Governor Emmanuel for his constant support to the Commission towards the preparation of the census activities, adding that his representation has boosted the Commission to deliver a credible and reliable census that will drive the development plan of the state and Nigeria at large.
Ukpong stated that the objective of the summit was to broaden the national support base and that of the state, for the successful conduct of the 2023 census, which was declared open on August 11, 2022 in Abuja, by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.
The federal commissioner restated that the mandate was given to the State to convene the sensitisation exercise for proper integration and internalization of the programme.
He promised to deliver acceptable census and international best standards data generation, for planning and developmental purposes and decorated Gov Udom Emmanuel and his deputy, Mr Moses Ekpo, with a badge as Census Ambassador of the state.
Goodwill messages were presented by different institutions and groups.
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