By Sen. Douye Diri
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I most heartily welcome the preparation for the 2023 National Population and Housing Census by the National Population Commission (NPC).
Today, I participated in the Stakeholders Summit on the 2023 Census in Yenagoa put together by our dear sister and the Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission in charge of Bayelsa State, Mrs. Gloria Izonfuo.
I was very clear about my concerns on the population figures of 1,704,515 persons attributed to the state by the National Population Commission (NPC) in 2006 and challenged them to ensure the process leading to the forthcoming exercise is not compromised.
I agree completely that we need the exercise to guide national development plan and in that same light, I told the gathering that the State had grown beyond the current structure of eight local government areas in view of the population growth.
As a government, we are prepared to support the commission to deliver to Nigeria a reliable data and figures that will truly help in planning for our development.
I, therefore, wish to urge the good people of Bayelsa State to prepare for the exercise as it is in our own interest to be captured during the census that is happening almost 16 years after the last one.
