Accra, Sept. 27, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Monday stated that his return from China to participate in the population Census was a demonstration of how important the programme was to every Ghanaian.

"I considered it carefully before travelling from China to participate in the exercise instead of continuing to Japan. As Head of State, it is important to start the programme for others to see it as important."

President Mills stated these when Madam Grace Bediako, the government statistician and other officials of the Statistical Service called on him at the Castle, Osu to interview him on his personal data. This year's census is the fifth ever to be conducted since independence after the 1960, 1970, 1984 and 2000 exercises. The 2000 census pegged Ghana at 18,912,079 but the figure is speculated to reach the 25 million mark this year.

President Mills traced the conduct of census back to the Biblical era when every citizen was counted in his or her hometown and called on all Ghanaians to see the exercise as an important one that could impact positively on the country in the coming years. The President after answering the questions said it was successful, adding "the questionnaire is very detailed and enumerators very experienced."

He described those who would refuse to participate in the exercise as enemies of progress and called on every Ghanaian to attach great importance to the programme during the entire period. Dr. Grace Bediako, Government Statistician, commended the President for cutting short his international assignment in China and Japan to participate in the programme, adding "Your participation will inspire a lot of people to avail themselves for the exercise." She expressed shock at the number of people they found on the streets of Accra during the exercise and called for maximum cooperation during the entire period of the programme.