Preparatory to the forthcoming population census in the country, the Federal Commissioner, representing Lagos State in the National Population Commission (NPC), Hon. Saidat Olayinka Oladunjoye has paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Chairman of Ikorodu Local Government, Hon. Wasiu Adeshina.
According to her, the visit was meant to show appreciation to the Council Chairman and to seek for his support ahead of the forthcoming census exercise in Ikorodu Local Government.
“This is an advocacy visit. A ‘Thank You’ visit. A visit to ask the Executive Chairman who has been supporting us, to thank him very immensely for the good work he is doing for us and to seek for his support as we approach the next Census exercise”.
‘As a Commission, we collect, analyze and use data for research. This is why I am here today to tell them about the significance of data and to tell them that the President has given us the tacit approval to conduct the Census exercise and has set up the committee to drive the process. My visit is simply to talk to the Chairman and seek his support and ask him to help us to make the exercise a success’, she added.
‘Ikorodu Local Government is a very big jurisdiction, one of the biggest jurisdictions in Lagos State and we know that once we are able capture Ikorodu and a place like Alimosho, we are home and dry’, she concluded.
While expressing appreciation for the visit of the Federal Commissioner, Adeshina assured the team of the readiness of Ikorodu Local Government to collaborate with the National Population Commission (NPC) in ensuring a seamless and successful exercise.
‘Population is key in government administration and we have realized that Lagos State has been shortchanged in the past due to inaccurate data and most of the indices used in past census exercises are obsolete and needed to be reviewed’.
Speaking further, Adeshina stated that, ‘Ikorodu Local Government is ready to support the Commission in its exercise. I have instructed the relevant department to put necessary mercenaries in place to support a successful census exercise in our Council area’, he promised.
Oladunjoye also used the opportunity to appeal to Lagosians to support the exercise by ensuring they are counted.
‘I want to urge Lagosians to come out en masse when it’s time for the Census exercise because, without accurate census data we can’t plan properly as a government. We can’t plan good schools for them, we can’t provide hospitals for them. Even for something as mundane as markets, we need to know how many we are to be able to provide it for them’.
‘When it’s time for Census, they should stay put in Lagos and ensure we count them because if we don’t count them, they obviously will not be able to benefit from the Infrastructural development that will take place in the State’.
Earlier, in his remarks, the State Director of the National Population Commission, Mr. Bamidele Sadiku Amida, explained that the forthcoming census exercise would be conducted digitally and not manually as has been done in the past, thus reducing or even eliminating data misrepresentation completely.
He equally assured that robust data collection would form the basis of the coming census and appealed to residents to cooperate with and support the census officials towards ensuring they collate accurate data.
Other members of the Commissioner’s delegate present, were the State Director of National Population Commission, Mr. Bamidele Sadiku Amida, Controller General of the National Population Commission, Ikorodu Axis, Mrs. Caroline Ochokwu.
Among Management Staff that joined the Council Chairman to receive the visitors were the Council Manager, Mr. Johnson Adekunle, Secretary to the Local Government, Alhaji Lateef Afini, the Legal Officer, Council Engineer as well as council HODs.
