The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, has described Population Census as a key requirement for effective national planning and development in every state, nation.
Speaking at Government House Umuahia on Tuesday while receiving management of the National Population Commission, Abia State, he noted that no nation can plan or meet obligations without credible data which they derive from the population census.
According to a statement by the Information Officer, Office of the Chief of Staff, Onyinyechi Obi, forwarded to newsbuka.com.ng, Pastor Ajagba while describing Census as an important component of development, said the Dr. Alex Otti led administration is passionate and fully committed to giving Abians the best of governance in line with his vision of making Abia number one state in the federation.
He further stressed the need for the Commission to adopt new technologies in their enumeration and data gathering in order to provide a population statistic that will help in planning and development just as he assured them of government support.
Also Speaking the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Ngozi Azodo, The Director general of Abia State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (ABSACA) Dr. Uloaku Ukaegbu and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Labour, Sir Godson Anucha, called for synergy between the National Population Commission and the State Ministry of Health in the area of undertaking adequate demographic data, compiling and publishing several registration and statistics in line with the Nation’s population policy.
In her address, the State Director of Nigeria Population Commission, Lady Juliana Ezebuiro, commended Gov. Alex Otti for his developmental strides across the state and for appointing a seasoned administrator Pastor Caleb Ajagba as the Chief of Staff and disclose that her Commission is saddled with the responsibility of overseeing data and statistical gathering and analysis for developmental and economical purposes.
On his part, a Director in the Commission Mr. Uduma Agbai Kalu, said the Commission has put in adequate manpower in taking the data to remote places in the state and solicited government’s support in the area of logistics, security, publicity and mass mobilization to enable them conduct a hitch-free and credible census in the state.
