NGF backs 2022 population census, says exercise vital for nation’s economic growth

The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has restated the readiness of government at the sub-national level to support the conduct of the 2022 national population census, describing the exercise as vital to the socio-economic index of the country.

The NGF chairman and Ekiti state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who spoke when the chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Alhaji Nasir Isa Kwarra, led Southwest Federal Commissioners and some principal officers in the commission on advocacy visit to the Governor’s office in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

The Governor maintained that the exercise is of utmost priority to the Governors and would be given needed assistance to ensure that the process is conducted scientifically to avoid manipulation and human error.

Fayemi assured the chairman of the commission of the support of his governor colleagues in the area of sensitization, mobilization, provision of security, accommodation and logistics for effective deployment of personnel across the states.

Expressing confidence in the ability of the commission to conduct the exercise effectively and efficiently, the governor said judging from the preparatory work that has gone into many states, it was apparent, “we are going to witness a new dawn in relation to this assignment.”

Fayemi said, “Let me say this on behalf of all my colleagues in the Governors forum that this is a matter of interest to us and it is not one that we would like to see subjected to the usual tales of how well you behaved in your state should determine the figures that come up, this should be a scientific exercise in every way possible.

“As per the other issues you raised, sensitisation, mobilisation, provision of security, accommodation logistics for effective deployment of your personnel, I believe all of the governors would be interested in assisting as much as possible in all of these areas because for us this is an assignment that we take very seriously and it is one that is in the overall interest of our country.

“We brandish figures around too much in this country, nothing concretes, even countries that are bigger than us, that are more complex than us do hold their population census routinely, so there is no reason we should not be able to do this as a matter of course in Nigeria and I know that the President would be very supportive of this assignment as we all will be at our own level at the subnational level. Whatever you think we have to do to accomplish this task we are here, we will do it. “

Earlier, the NPC Chairman, Kwarra who commended Governor Fayemi’s astuteness in conducting affairs of NGF, requested him to help rally support of his colleagues in the Governors forum for the successful conduct of the census exercise in 2022.

He disclosed that the commission had started the second pretest across selected local governments in the country of which three local governments, namely Efon, Ekiti-West and Ilejemeje were selected in the state to increase public awareness and get the mind of the people prepared for the forthcoming census exercise.

Kwara revealed that the 2022 census would be conducted with the aid of electronic devices to reduce human errors and chances of manipulations and that census instruments and methodology are being deployed in the second pre-test exercise to prove their viability and give room for improvement.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

FALSE! Yoruba Not An Official Language In Brazil

Claim: A national newspaper and multiple online platforms claim Brazil has adopted Yoruba as its official language and that the language would be included in primary and secondary schools curriculum.

Verdict: The claim is false. The content of the article published by these online platforms is not new; it has been recirculated several times and has been debunked.

NGF backs 2022 population census, says exercise vital for nation’s economic growth