By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Thursday asked the National Population Commission (NPC) to be fair to Oyo state in the 2018 census.
The governor made the call while speaking at the flag-off of the 3rd phase of the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) for the 2018 population and housing census at Igbeti Town Hall, Olorunsogo Local government area of the state.
Speaking through the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matter, Mr. Bimbo Kolade, Governor Ajimobi pointed out that there is the need for NPC
to take note of the peculiar nature of the rural communities and ensure that necessary modalities are put in place to guarantee objectivity and fairness in the exercise.
According to the governor,any error in the 2018 census exercise will undermine the integrity of the exercise,saying, the census figures returned for the State over the years did not appear to give a fair reflection of the demography of the state considering the fact that Oyo State has a large expanse of land area with considerable population.
“If a State is under enumerated or the tools for demarcation processes are mismanaged to give wrongful indications, it would affect the integrity of the final census figures. It also has debilitating effects on the development planning and resources to be made available for the well-being and the development of the State” he said.
The governor stressed that the issues of population and housing census are important tools in social and economic configuration as they serve as important indices on the development chart that reveal the potency for economic activities as well as guide developmental initiatives.
While charging NPC to guide against error of omission or commission, the governor urged the stakeholders and people in the State to cooperate with the enumerators by allowing them to move freely, give them access to their buildings/housing units and respond truthfully to their inquiries during the demarcation to have a fruitful exercise.
Chairman and Federal Commissioner for National Population Commission in the state, Dr. Eyitayo Oyetunji declared that NPC was ready to inform, enlighten, create awareness and sensitize various stakeholders and the general public in the State on the 3rd phase of the enumeration area demarcation of the 2018 population and housing census which will commence from 20th February to 12th March 2017.
Dr Oyetunji added that “EAD is the division of the country into small units that can be conveniently covered by a pair of enumerators during the census period” saying, “It is not real population census but preparatory activities for the census exercise and vehicle that drives the entire census process in the pre-census, actual enumeration and post-census period”.
“The commission is deploying the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) compliance, high resolution satellite imagery and personal digital assistance (PDA) so that there won’t be room for un-demarcated and duplicated”.
