By Mohammed Baba Busu
Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger Council of Taditional Rulers, has called on his subjects and residents of the state to come out en mass and participate fully in the upcoming national census.
The Etsu Nupe made the appeal during the annual Eid-el-Fitr Sallah Barki in his Wadata Palace in Bida on Wednesday.
Abubakar also called on citizens to cooperate with the enumerators that would be assigned to conduct the exercise for the success of the census.
The first class royal father urged that all and sundry should make themselves available to be counted.
He explained that the exercise is not just for mere collection of data, including the number of human beings and houses.
Abubakar emphasised that national census also cover the collection of demographic, social and economic data which the government use to formulate economic policies for the growth and development of communities.
The data generated serve as a useful guide in the distribution of social amenities and infrastructural projects, he stated.
According to him, population census is at the heart of the planning for the future by government based on the data generated during the exercise.
“The importance of national census cannot be over emphasised because it helps in planning for the health, demography, social welfare, infrastructure and general sustainability of the society.
“It also serve as a guide towards the orderly planning and implementation of government policies and programmes,” said Abubakar.
The traditional ruler further called on his people and Nigerians to live in peace with one another to foster peace and national unity.
He said that there was the need for his subjects and indeed Nigerians to ensure peaceful co-existence in the country so as to ensure economic growth and development.
According to Abubakar, no society or country can achieve any meaningful development or greatness in an atmosphere of chaos and mistrust.
Besides, the royal father urged Muslims to have the fear of God in all their activities, cautioning that “we all have to give account of our deeds one day to our creator
