Abiodun tasks NPC boss on conduct of credible 2023 census enumeration exercise

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has urged the National Population Commission (NPC) to conduct a credible 2023 census enumeration exercise that would form the basis for equitable management and distribution of financial resources in the country.

Abiodun said this, yesterday, while receiving Chairman of the NPC, Nasir Isa Kwarra, in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

He noted that the population enumeration exercise is an extremely important exercise that is fundamental to the socio-economic planning and development of the country.

The governor expressed hope that the NPC would not have a repeat of what happened during similar exercise in 2006 and ensure that everyone is counted.

Abiodun said his administration had already intimated traditional leaders, the Community Development Associations (CDAs) and the civil society of the exercise.

Earlier in his remarks, the NPC boss, while noting that the commission was highly impressed with the giant strides of the current administration in infrastructural development and urban renewal, said that the aim of the visit was to continue public awareness on the ongoing trial census, which he stated, was a dress rehearsal for the 2023 population enumeration exercise.

He further noted that the vision of the commission was to become the population centre of excellence and the leading demographic agency in Africa by 2024, assuring that one local council would be fully covered in one state in each of the six geo-political zones of the country.

He, however, disclosed that 7,718 enumeration areas had been selected for the trial census to test-run the suitability and readiness for the actual census in 2023.