Yemisi Izuora
Lagos state governor, Akinwumi Ambode has reaffirmed its claim that the population of the state is not less than 25 million people and that the government would not rely on statistics that has always been marred with inconsistencies.
Ambode regretted that government has not been able to project and engage in accurate economic intervention because the state is daily hosting a huge influx of population from different parts of the country.
Flagging off phase three of the Enumeration Area Demarcation, EAD, the project of the National Population Commission, NPC, at Shomolu local government area, of the state, the governor represented by the permanent secretary, Cabinet office, Mr. James Olusola Odupitan said no meaningful economic activity would thrive without adequate planning.
The EAD is an exercise which helps to divide the whole land mass of the country into small units that can be easily covered by a team of enumerators during census enumeration. It is one of the core preparatory activities for the census exercise.
The governor complained that lack of population data has hindered growth in the state as the government could not properly budget and apply fund in critical areas.
He said the state will offer all necessary support to ensure the success of the EAD since the NPC has given the assurance that necessary steps have been taken to make the project achieve its desired result.
He, therefore, charged the Commission to take into consideration all details with regard to mapping the local governments and ensure proper demarcation and counting that will guarantee successful national census next year such that the state will not be under-enumerated as was done in 2006.
In her opening speech, the federal commissioner, National Population Commission, NPC, Lagos state, Mrs. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin admitted that the population of the state is growing daily in leaps and bounds, adding, “It may interest His Excellency to note that Lagos is fast becoming a high-end service centre, none like it in the whole of West Africa. Therefore, the need for same to be demographically hinged for better livability, economic enhancement, and sustainable development”.
Salu-Hundeyin explained that the sum total of a community’s quality of life measured across multiple dimensions of varying neighborhood characteristics including built and natural environment, economic prosperity, infrastructure, housing, transportation, health and educational opportunities, civic-social engagement, social stability and equity, cultural opportunity and even recreational opportunities.
The Commissioner assured that the exercise would produce a reliable result as the Commission has deployed modern technology in carrying out the EDA.
“The methodology for the census is designed to achieve full Geographic Information System, GIS, compliance. High-resolution satellite imagery is being used to ensure that no area is left un-demarcated and no place is duplicated.
The methodology being adopted does not allow for the creation of imaginary EAs and any attempt to include non-existent households and buildings in the EAs will be detected through satelite imagery”, she assured.