-
Marks World Population Day
BY PATRICK MGBODO
DELTA State may be receiving less than its fair share of national resource allocation due to outdated statistics and fragmented demographic data, the National Population Commission (NPC) has said.
The Federal Commissioner representing Delta State in the NPC, Hon. (Mrs) Blessyn Brume- Ataguba, disclosed this in Asaba while briefing journalists, yesterday, as part of events to commemorate the 2025 World Population Day.
While calling on governments, civil societies and development partners to recommit to creating a supporting environment for young people to thrive, Hon Brume-Ataguba said the NPC has redoubled its efforts in providing evidence-based data for inclusive and youth-focused governance.
In line with the theme of the 2025 World Population Day, ‘’Empowering Young People To Create The Families They Want In A Fair And Hopeful World’’, Hon Brume- Ataguba anchored the Commission’s strategy on three critical pillars.
They include: Revitalisation of the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system, Implementation of a digital and transformative Population and Housing Census, and Development of the National Geospatial Data Repository.
‘’Data is indispensable for evidence-based planning, particularly in youth-focused sectors like education, health, employment and skills development. The Federal Government has shown a strong commitment to this process by investing substantial resources and institutional backing, underscoring the importance of data-driven governance.
‘’I hereby humbly encourage the Delta State Government to get involved in like manner. With all sense of responsibility, it is common knowledge that we are presently losing out on resource allocation’’ Hon Brume-Ataguba said.
Using the Udu Local Government Area as an example, the Delta NPC federal commissioner said 20 per cent of federal allocation is based on population size, but the 2006 Census figures have long become obsolete and do not reflect the current population.
‘’Udu is one of the local governments getting the lowest allocation despite its huge population and oil wells. If the state government works with the NPC, we can address those issues.
‘’If we can demonstrate that our population size is higher than what is on record, because we have captured it in real-time, our allocation will be increased. This same thing is replicated across other areas in Delta State.
‘’I know that if you look at the state’s allocation in comparison to other states, Delta is one of the highest. But we can get more from the Federal Government. We are currently losing out’’ Brume-Ataguba said.
Earlier, the new State Director of the NPC, Mrs Jane Odigwe, underscored the importance of accurate statistics in maintaining the status of a desired nation, adding that no nation can make meaningful progress without reliable data.
