The National Population Commission (NPC) has pleaded for the support and cooperation of the Akran of Badagry, Aholu Menu Toyi 1, during the forthcoming Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) exercise in the coastal city.
Mr Murphy Adigun, Lagos State Director of NPC, made the plea during a visit to the Akran in his palace in Badagry on Tuesday.
The NPC boss said that the visit toBadagry was for advocacy and sensitisation ahead of the EAD which had already taken place in 14 out of the 20 Local government areas in Lagos State.
“We are here today to appeal to our Obas and chiefs to cooperate with our staff as much as possible because we are not tax collectors or here to demolish houses.
“We are here for Enumeration Area Demarcation and the results will be used for the developmental purpose in Badagry,” the official explained during the visit attended by traditional rulers and chiefs in the area.
Adigun also explained that EAD was a pre-census exercise of cutting communities into smaller units for enumerators to cover during the census.
“Without this exercise, we cannot do a census and after this one, whatever the results we get from it is what we will use during the census.
“Our staff will be going from house to house to count the number of people, families living in a house.
“We need the cooperation of chiefs in each community to know the boundary of the community.
“Definitely this is a very serious business which has to be done before any census, it is after the exercise that we expect the Federal Government to fix a date for the actual census,” he said.
The director said that the exercise had been completed in 14 local government areas of the state before coming to Badagry.
He said that the exercise, which would last between four and five weeks, would involve 150 trained enumerators and supervisors.
Responding, the Akran assured the NPC director of their cooperation during the exercise, saying that Badagry residents are known to be accommodating people.
He appealed to the NPC to employ youths of Badagry as ad-hoc staff during the exercise.
The royal father urged the NPC staff who would be conducting EAD to be patient with the residents during the exercise.
“We are not born equal; some residents will answer you very well, while it will take little patience to get information from others.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other members of the NPC delegation included Mrs Antonia Kanu, the Deputy Controller in charge of Badagry, Mrs Aisat Yakubu, the Public Affair Officer among others.(NAN)
