By Ikhili Ebalu Benin City
Edo State Government on Monday engaged no fewer than 1,200 enumerators to capture vital socio-economic information that would be used for planning a new Edo State over the next few years.
The State Governor, Godwin Obaseki made the disclosure during the launching of “Data To M.E.G.A (Make Edo Great Again) in Benin City.
Obaseki said the responsibility of the enumerators was to capture all the necessary information required for the successful transformation of the state.
He explained that the enumerators would build a social register of the most vulnerable people within communities in order to ensure that government support can get to them faster.
The governor who said no meaningful development can occur without useful information and data, noted that the data collected would be used to update the government’s database and identify gaps and areas requiring government intervention from the people’s perspective.
“Over the next few weeks, field workers would visit every home in the pilot local government areas and use mobile data capturing devices to collect information from people living in that local government area
“This project as you know is a collaboration with many agencies, including local government, ministry of planning among others, so that we can capture data electronically into one system so that we have the information to plan for Edo State.
“You are all undertaking a very unique project. It hasn’t happened in this country as far as I know. When you train a first batch of 1,200 people to go from door-to-door across the communities in Edo state, to obtain information of our people’,he said.
Obaseki, who described the project as unique noted that it was one of the laudable legacies, his administration promised to leave behind in the state during the second term inauguration.
He however, appealed to all residents of the state to cooperate with government and the enumerators to be able to get necessary and vital information and data for the development of the state.
Earlier, Isa Aghariagbonse Ojo, project manager said the enumerators were trained.