Ude Oko Chukwu, the deputy governor of Abia State, has tasked the National Population Commission’s (NPC) publicity subcommittee to deliver accurate census findings to the State and the entire country.

He threw the challenge in Umuahia, the state capital, while declaring open a capacity-building workshop on the process and methodology for the 2023 population and housing census.

The Deputy Governor, who rejected the two million human population credited to the State by the NPC in the previous census, said the figures were grossly incorrect and lower considering the large population of the State at that period of the census.

Oko Chukwu, the chairman of the State census publicity committee, urged the committee members to carry out wide sensitization of the people to change every negative mindset that had led to a majority of Abia citizens boycotting previous population exercises.

He reiterated that accurate census data is one of the indices used by the Federal Government in allocating revenues to States and local governments.

He added that accurate census results also aid the government in planning as well as ascertaining the age brackets of its citizens for the provision of adequate health care, education and basic infrastructure.

Abia State Director of NPC, Juliana Ezebuiro, and the State Commissioner of NPC, Jonny Nwabuisi, in their remarks, said the commission ensured that enumeration area demarcation, EAD, was mapped out scientifically to capture every house and family in the State, assuring that the exercise will produce credible results.