The Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission, Abia state, Chief Nwanne Nwabuisi, has pleaded with the Indigenous People of Biafra, to enable the South-East to get accurate figures in the forthcoming 2023 census.
Nwabuisi made the appeal on Thursday, during the Abia State stakeholders summit on the 2023 census with the theme, “Getting the people involved,” held in Umuahia.
He said IPOB’s uncooperative attitude in the 2006 national census affected the people of the South-East badly and called for their cooperation this time. He said an accurate census is a win for everybody.
The commissioner added that IPOB was calling for the United Nations to help conduct a referendum for them, but insisted that without an accurate census the conduct of a proper referendum would not be possible.
He further called on stakeholders to appeal to their brothers who are IPOB members to equally cooperate for the good of all, adding that the commission had taken all the necessary steps to give Nigeria an accurate digital census in 2023.
He called on all the stakeholders, especially the local government area chairmen and traditional rulers, to give their field workers the necessary help they would require to get an accurate population and housing census in April 2023.
In his own speech, while declaring the summit open, the Governor of Abia state, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, represented by his chief of staff, chief Okey Ahiwe, said that the Abia State government would give the NPC all the support they would need to get accurate census in Nigeria.
Adding that his government had set up a state census committee headed by Hon. Eric Nwakanma, to ensure all stakeholders are carried along in achieving an accurate census in the state next year.
