Oyo won’t accept census figure less than 15m, Makinde tells NPC

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has urged the National Population Commission (NPC) to conduct an accurate census in 2023 and avoid guesswork and manipulation.

The governor, who stated that the population of Oyo State should not be less than 15 million, said any figure below that, is false and inaccurate.

Makinde, represented by his deputy, Bayo Lawal, while speaking in Ibadan on Wednesday at a stakeholders’ summit organised by the NPC on the 2023 population census, held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, with the theme: ‘’2023 Population and Housing Census – Get Involved,’’ said the NPC had not been fair to Oyo State in the past census exercises.

The governor, while calling on the people of the state to cooperate with population commission officials during the exercise, said: “Census is very important for us as a government. It is not about politics, religion or culture. It is about the number of people in each local council, the state and Nigeria.

‘’By my experience, NPC has not done well for us. Chief Awolowo said the 1973 census was unrealistic. Since then, they started projection. The 1991 census was worse than that of 1973. I am saying this as the governor of Oyo State and you take it to your headquarters that they are shortchanging Oyo State.

‘’As it stands today, the population of Oyo State from NPC is not up to 10 million. Be accurate and impartial. Declare what you capture. If the population of the state is less than 15 million, it is false and inaccurate. Do your work accurately.”

He, therefore, urged the residents of the state to give maximum support to the commission.

Meanwhile, the Federal Commissioner, NPC, Oyo State, Dr. Eyitayo Oyetunji, who sought the buy-in of the residents and other stakeholders, said the commission was ready to conduct the best census.

Also, the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Lekan Balogun, said traditional leaders would mobilise their subjects to fully participate in the exercise.