Abia state Governor, Dr Alex Otti has emphasized the critical importance of conducting a reliable Census data for effective governance and planning.
Governor Otti who stated this when he received the Federal Cmmissioner, National Population Commission, Abia State, Hon Emma Eke and his management staff underscored the significance of accurate census data noting that without knowing the population, planning becomes impossible.
He expressed disappointment over past administrations’ failure to grasp the importance of census, leading to inaccuracies in data collection.
“I can identify with the points you have raised about population census, because if you don’t know how many you are you can’t plan.
“People in the past did not understand what census was all about. Census is very very important for planning and development”, Otti said.
The Governor raised concerns about the population data allocated to Abia during the last population Census despite the high population density of Aba, said the figures were incorrect
He thanked the NPC for their collaboration and assured them of government’s commitment to partnering with the commission to ensure the success of the upcoming census.
Earlier, the Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission,Hon Emma Eke said census serves as a critical source of information on the population’s demographic,social and economic characteristics which informs policy making, resource allocation and development planning at various levels of government.
He disclosed that in 2006,Abia state was grossly represented by itself as a result of inactions and wrong policy implementation of the then administration and the activities of separatist groups.
He said the next Population and Housing Census provides the much needed opportunity for re-representation of the state with accurate and up-to-date information on the state’s population and it’s characteristics and requested the collaboration of the state government with the commission.
“In 2006, our state was grossly under represented by itself as a result of inactions and wrong policy implementation of the then administration and of course the activities of separatist groups.
