IBRAHEEM MUHAMMAD
Nasarawa State governor, Mr. Abdullahi Sule, has registered his administration’s displeasure with the 2006 census figure given to the state, describing the present population of the state pegged at 1.8m as gross misrepresentation.
Sule lodged the complaint when he visited the headquarters of the National Population Commission (NPC) in Abuja.
According to the governor, Karu Local Government Area of the state alone has a population of 1.8m people, stressing that, as a result of this low population count, Nasarawa State cannot plan; which is responsible for the backwardness of the state.
He explained that as a governor, he has to resort to thinking outside the box, in order for the state to function, because what Nasarawa State receives alongside Bayelsa and Ekiti from the FAAC, cannot take the state anywhere.
The governor pointed out that, with Nigeria’s growing population expected to reach 400m by the year 2050, there is an urgent need to plan ahead in terms of producing food to feed the expected population, the structure to house the population, as well as a thriving economy to sustain the population.
While noting these as the challenges of the future, Sule emphasised that the figures that will come out from the next national census will help the country to plan for the future.
He appreciated the NPC commissioner representing Nasarawa State, former deputy governor of the state, Silas Ali Agara, for personally undertaking the conduct of the EAD across the entire state, adding that Nasarawa is interested in the world knowing her true population.
Engineer Sule was however optimistic that amidst the challenges of insecurity and economic growth, Nasarawa State holds a promise for the future, saying that explains why his administration is working hard in order to take the state to the next level of development.
“One good thing that I found on the ground, is the fact that Nasarawa holds one of the greatest prospects for the future development of the country. That is the reason we keep working hard in order to do it,” he stated.
The governor lamented that presently, Nigeria is bedevilled with the challenges of insecurity and economic woes.
He expressed the hope that the critical role ahead for the NPC would go a long way in assisting the country to plan well and effectively tackle its challenges.
Responding, the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, described the visit by the governor as unprecedented since the creation of the commission in 1998.
Kwarra further described the visit by Sule, especially at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari had given the commission the approval to conduct the next national census in the second quarter of 2022, as connoting total support for the exercise from the 36 governors in the country.
The NPC chairman noted that state governments are critical stakeholders in the census project, which explains why the commission will soon embark on an advocacy visit to all the state governors across the country.
He disclosed that over the years, the NPC had invested considerable efforts and resources in planning for a modern, scientific and technologically driven census.
While commending the governor for the exemplary leadership being provided in Nasarawa State, Kwarra said the visit by Governor Sule was a reminder of his huge responsibility to project the sterling virtues of hard work, commitment to excellence and professionalism, for which Nasarawa State is noted.