Ondo To Partner NPC For Credible Census

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has pledged his administration’s commitment to partnering with National Population Commission (NPC) in creating enabling environment for the 2023 Census to take place in Ondo State and ensure that everyone is counted in the right place.

Represented by his Deputy, Hon Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Akeredolu made these commitments at the Stakeholders Summit on the 2023 Population and Housing Census, organized by National Population Commission, held at NMA Hall, beside The Dome, Alagbaka Akure.

His words, “with all the preparation steps put in place, the journey towards the 2023 census is obviously on course

According to him, “population data is critical to development planning and any government desirous of achieving development strides needs to know how many people require basic amenities such as light, water, schools, housing, health facilities and education

“No Country relies solely on its estimated population because such estimates ignore the demographics unearthed by census data which are needed for national planning purposes”, he explained.

Frowning on the country inability to conduct population census in the last 16 years, the Governor declared, “it has become imperative for the country to conduct another national census to produce a new set of demographic and socioeconomic data that will provide the basis for national planning and sustainable development”.

Emphasizing the need for efficient collaboration amongst stakeholders, the Governor solicited for the support of critical stakeholders especially civil society organizations that would be playing major roles such as advocacy, enlightenment of the society on the need for accurate and acceptable census.