Date: 2017-02-16

KWARA STATE Commissioner, National Population Commission, NPC, Abubakar Ndakene has disclosed that the commission had recruited 50 officials for the third phase of the Enumeration Area Demarcation, EAD, for the 2018 population and housing census exercise in Oyun Local Government Area of the state. He said the 50 recruited officials, who had been grouped into teams, were trained on the demarcation exercise across the local government.

Ndakene, who spoke at the commencement of EAD at Ilemona, the headquarters of the local government, on Monday, said the commission had adopted a meticulous and gradual approach to the next year's census. He expressed the hope that at the end of the exercise, the commission would have successfully demarcated two local governments in the state, adding that the remaining 14 LGs would be covered under the subsequent phases of the exercise.

Ndakene said the exercise would commence on February 20 and close on March 10, adding that Oyun Local Government was selected for the exercise. He stressed that the significance of the exercise goes beyond the conduct of the 2018 Census, saying it will be useful for the establishment of a national frame work including locality list and house numbering for future censuses.

Ndakene said the results of the exercise can also be used by the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, to generate zip code for the country. Speaking on behalf of the Traditioner Rulers in the council, the Olukotun of Ikotun-Ile, Dr Abdulrasak Adebayo Abioye, assured the commission of their subjects' support for the exercise, just as he appealed to the NPC to ensure adequate provision of census materials during the forthcoming national census scheduled for 2018.

Also speaking, the Transition Implementation Committee chairman for Oyun Local Government, Alhaji Sarafadeen Akorede pledged his support for the success of the exercise, adding that adequate security had been put in place to ensure safety of lives and property of the NPC and its officials. Akorede, however, urged the people of the local government to corporate with personnel of the commission during the exercise by providing them with all necessary information.