The Etsu of Kwali in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), His Royal Highness, Dr. Shaban Audu Nizazo, has promised to support the National Population Commission (NPC) to ensure accurate and credible census in the country, saying it would help policymaking.
Nizazo who stated this in Abuja while reacting to proclamation on census, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to “do whatever it takes to ensure that proper census is conducted, “stressing that figure is very important for all national developmental projects.
According to him, the country is due for another national census since 2016, being 10 years after the last one was conducted in 2006.
He called on federal government to provide adequate funding for the conduct of 2022 census, saying it will takes a lot of money to have credible census.
He said: “We as traditional rulers, it’s our duty to actually mobilize and educate the people about census, census is a very serious business for the nation, and every citizen must participate in census and it’s going to be a very a rigorous activities for the traditional rulers and community leaders. Therefore wouldn’t take chance.
“We’re always on the people that we need to be counted. We need to know that the nation need to know how many we are in this country so not knowing the people alone, but the categories of people, because we need to know what facilities we have to provide for Nigerians.
“How many people are incapacitated, people who cannot see people who cannot work, deaf and dumb, These are issues that are related to census. And once if these things are not captured in national census it means planning itself is not going to work well for development of Nigeria.
“So, with these at the background, it is our duty as traditional rulers to educate and mobilize people towards getting the correct census figures for our country,” he said.
He explained that there is need for national population commission to carryout training for the people who will conduct the census.
He further said: “My advice for President is for him to understand that census is not something we say go into the field and bring a census figure, there are steps that we can provide for the reposition of those steps.
“We can’t jump one step into the other. So whoever is close to Mr. President should advice him that we must take first steps of training because it is not an easy job.
“If we really need the census, the President is privilege to proclaim to gives Nigeria right figure, other countries are listening to us. Other countries want to be like Nigeria. So, Mr. President you understand your position as a black leader, and a leader of the third world and that we have to lead properly”.
