Osun Inaugurates Inter-Ministerial Committee on Population, Housing Census

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

The Osun State government yesterday inaugurated an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Population and Housing Census with a focus on ensuring that facts and figures about the state are correctly compiled during the forthcoming National Population and Housing Census

Governor Ademola Adeleke, who was represented at the inauguration of the Committee by the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Teslim Igbalaye, assured the committee and the National Population Commission (NPC) of the full commitment of the state government in ensuring a successful 2023 census and addressing any challenges that might affect the state in being shortchanged during the exercise.

” I am delighted to be here today to perform the inauguration of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Population and Housing Census, put together by this administration in furtherance of efforts to ensure that facts and figures about Osun State are correctly compiled during the next National Population and Housing Census slated to hold from Wednesday 3rd to Saturday 6th May, 2023.

“I wish to declare that the need to take this step by the government was underscored by the fact that there are clear indications that our dear state was under-represented in the figures published for the 1991 NPC.

“This was challenged at the Census Tribunal, and the needful was done eventually, but the repeat of that should not be allowed to happen in the forthcoming exercise.”

In outlining the responsibility of the committee, Igbalaye directed members of the committee to work out appropriate sensitisation and mobilisation strategies about the activities of the National Population and Housing Census exercise, organise advocacy and sensitisation programmes for Local Government functionaries, the media and NGOs, on population and related issues.

He also urged the committee to regularly liaise with the NPC in the state with a view to fashioning out strategies for an effective and acceptable population census.

He further gave the assurance of the state government to provide enabling environment and necessary support to ensure that right machineries were put in place for a successful Population and Housing Census exercise in Osun State.

The Statistician General of the State and Secretary of the Committee, Mr. Yemi Ijidele, thanked the state government for the proactive approach taken in ensuring a successful census and housing population in the state.

He said the committee was a standing committee of the state government set up to address the myriad of challenges Osun State had suffered during the past census.

Members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee were drawn from different sensitive government ministry and agencies. They included: Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning; Ministry of Local government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Ministry of Information and Civic Orientation; Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Education, Ministry of Commerce and industry, Department of Politics and Security, Office of the Head of Service, Office of the Surveyor General, Office of the Accountant General of the state, National Population Commission (NPC), Ministry Justice, Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Hon Commissioner for Boundary Settlement under the office of Ministry of Justice among others.