By; Bayo Akamo, Ibadan.
The Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji has asked the people of Ibadan land to support the National Population Commission (NPC), in its on-going trial census and area demarcation exercise.
Oba Adetunji made this call while speaking at the grand finale of the Ibadan Cultural Festival held at the main bowl of the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
The royal father maintained that there is the need for the people of Ibadan and environs to make themselves available for the on going head count and the household enumeration exercise so as to know the true population of Ibadan land when the proper census commences.
“We should all ensure that we are counted during the census, so as to know the true population of Ibadan. We must get it right now, because everybody were not well pleased with the last population census figures, which put Ibadan that have eleven local government areas at less than 4 million in population,”he said.
According to Oba Adetunji, “population is one of the criteria for the provision of social infrastructures and most importantly, the creation of Ibadan State we are all craving for”.
He however congratulated the Aboke of Ibadan land, Chief Ifamapowa for a successful outing of this year annual Oke’Badan Festival which ended last week as well lauding the Central Council of Ibadan Indigens, (CCII) for organising “Gbagede Olubadan”.
General President and Secretary of the CCII, Chief Wole Akinwande and Remi Popoola in their remarks, stressed that the enumeration, area demarcation exercise “is going on in Ibadan North West Local Government” and that household leaders in the affected councils should cooperate with the Population Commission official and answer all questions without fear.
“We want to take time to appeal to all of us to extend this courtesy to Census people when large scale counting occurs. Ibadan was shortchanged in national census exercise in 2006 and we should avert a repetition this time.”
