The member-elect for the federal constituency of Oron/Mbo/Okobo/Udung Uko/Urueoffong Oruko, Mr. Martins Esin, has criticized the current national structure and called for a revision of large federal constituencies, attributing the imbalance to erroneous census data.

He made this comment while participating in a conversation at the Senate and House of Representatives induction exercises held in advance of the 10th legislature's inauguration.

He also bemoaned the fact that his federal Constituency is divided into five Local Government Areas, but some States have eight, adding that this imbalance puts him at a disadvantage even before the House is proclaimed.

Therefore, he encouraged the National Assembly Service Commission to ensure uniformity in the constituency offices run by members at home.

Esin ascribed the unbalanced structure of the country to disputed census results that have prevented national progress.

He argues that census data is so crucially important that changing it impacts every other element of life in the country and that accurate planning is impossible with wrong data.

“We must begin to accord seriousness to data in this country. And it’s very important we convince ourselves that our data are credible and as accurate as possible. As long as our critical data like census figures aren’t truthful, the resultant problems of structural imbalance, lopsidedness in the allocation of resources, infrastructures and opportunities will persist. This is the sad story of Oron/Mbo/Okobo/Udung Uko/Urueoffong Oruko Federal Constituency, hence my appeal” he said.

Esin argued that in order for Nigeria to advance, certain national developmental issues, such as the population census, must be shielded from political and religious sentiments to allow the government to develop and implement policies based on facts. She described accurate data as essential to holistic and sustainable development and asserted that without it, development will remain elusive.

He urged the authorities to reconsider the question of defining federal constituencies in order to create a new one out of the current Oron/Mbo/Okobo/Udung Uko/Urueoffong Oruko Federal Constituency, which he claims is substantially too big to continue as a single federal district.