Dankwambo advocates more funding for population commission

Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State has advocated a special and speedy provision of funds for the National Population Commission directly from the federation account, as Nigeria goes through constitutional review.
Dankwambo made the call in Gombe, while receiving the Federal Population Commissioner for the state, Alhaji Bala Magaji, on a courtesy visit.
He said the call has become necessary, considering the fact that the NPC provides all the basic data for planning and election in the country.
Dankwambo said with the constitutional review process in place, some salient issues need to be highlighted and properly addressed for the betterment of the society.
He said: “As we are going through this process of constitutional amendment, some of this issues that are seen as less important will come to limelight. I believe if there is any institution that should be given priority, from the federation account, it’s the National Population Commission.”
Dankwambo, who received volumes of the 2006 census data from the NPC commissioner, advised the NPC to educate the public on the uses of such data, especially in the area of planning.
The governor disclosed that the state government plans to conduct a house census in collaboration with the NPC, to check the influx of people into Gombe as well as re-strategize on the provision of basic amenities to residents of the state capital.
Dankwambo, who pledged the state government’s logistic support to the NPC, directed local governments in the state to provide ad-hoc staff for the Commission, to facilitate its work at the grassroots.
Earlier, Magaji had informed the governor of the Commission’s readiness to observe a maternal and infant week in the state from May 20 in conjunction with the National Immunization Programme.
“By 20th of this month, we will be conducting maternal-newborn child week. This is conducted twice a year and the donor agencies fund this,” he explained.
Magaji said the Commission now has 35 birth registration centres across the 11 local government areas of the state.
The National Population Commission is vested with the responsibility of registering births, deaths, marriages and divorce as well as conducting periodic census and the projection of population figures.