By Babatunde Ayedoju

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The Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of Owena Press Limited, publisher of The Hope titles, Mr Kayode Fasua, has described adequate and accurate population data as the key to sustainable development for any community or nation.

Fasua disclosed this during an advocacy and familiarisation visit to his office by officials of the National Population Commission (NPC) on Tuesday.

The Owena Press helmsman, while noting that the job of the NPC cannot be underestimated, stressed that the commission’s role extends beyond headcount to e-registration and data collection about citizens, which would enable the government to make development-oriented decisions.

He,therefore, admonished the NPC to rely more on emerging technologies as it obtains in advanced countries, to make their work easier, adding that the state government-owned media outfit would be ready to partner with them and give them all the needed publicity.

Earlier in her address, the Federal Commissioner representing Ondo State in NPC, Mrs. Olukemi Iyantan, stated that generating reliable and accurate data on citizens is critical to the fulfillment of Mr. President’s Renewed Hope agenda and the Ondo State governor’s Our Ease agenda. She added that the NPC is committed to providing a template for that to become a reality.

She said, “There is no nation that can move forward without reliable and accurate data of its populace. Nigeria is a developing nation. Other nations have been able to develop because they know the actual number of their citizens. Without knowing the number of your citizens, there is no way you can make plans for them and execute those plans.

“In advanced countries, the moment a child is born, there must be a birth certificate. Likewise, immediately after someone dies, the death certificate is issued, and the person’s name is removed from the database. That, we must replicate here if we want Nigeria to develop, and we must be faithful to it.”

While saying that the NPC is doing a lot in all its offices across the 18 local governments in Ondo State, which people are not aware of, Iyantan stressed the need for the commission to enjoy the media’s support, adding that there is power in information.