National Population Commission (NPC), on Thursday, flagged off the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) phase 2, in Ebonyi state.
The National Commissioner, in charge of NPC in Ebonyi State, Darlington Okereke, during the flag off in Ohaukwu local government area, called on villages and communities to give the enumerators maximum cooperation in order to discharge their duties effectively.
Darlington said the exercise was for the benefit and development of the local government as it has about 1,562 EAs according to the last census in 2006.
The commissioner explained that Enumeration Areas are smaller units and divisions which two persons will be able to cover in a particular period of time and that the parameters for describing EAs are the households, buildings, trees, infrastructural facilities. He said each Enumeration Area is expected to have between 500 to 550 persons .
He stated: “I want to encourage you to work hard and have more EAs and ensure maximum cooperation between you and the enumerators because governor Umahi is very passionate about. If we get it right, the census figures will be right.
“NPC has a system now that people can not influence. It is called Very High Resolution Satellite Imagery and will be stationed in all the nooks and crannies of Ohaukwu local government area. All the roads in Ohaukwu will be in our map including all the houses and insfrastructure. So all hands must be on deck to ensure the actualization of the exercise.”
State coordinator of the exercise, Alhaji Umaro Jadin, stated the purpose was to divide the local government into smaller units to enable two people cover it during the forthcoming general Census.
“My duty is to organize and conduct Enumeration Area Demarcation excercise. EAs is a process whereby you are going to divide Local government into smaller units so that during Census excercise, two people can cover it.
“This is the background and foundation of every successful census. It will be carried out house to house and you will be asked certain questions which you are expected to answer. We need your support because at the end of the day, it is your local government that will benefit most”
Chairman, Ohaukwu Local government area, Barr. Omekanaya Odah, said that the local government was ready to set the ball rolling, and that the EAD which will later lead to census was very important since there was need to know the number of polling units, wards, State and Federal Constituencies the local government has, as well as the amount of money allocated to the local government from the Federal allocation account.
He said; “NPC is here to carry out the first excersise which is EAD. The Commission is going to share this Local government into various units which forms the basis for the head count. We have agreed to support them because they are going to work for us.”
The EAD Flag off was attended by public office holders, civil servants, traditional rulers, members of the clergy, town Union executives among others.