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The chairman of the National Population Commission, Chief Samu’ila Makama, on Friday disclosed that both the Nigerian government and the European Union (EU) have invested a total sum of N54.5 billion in next week’s census across the country.
Makama who disclosed this in Jos, at an interactive session with journalists, warned that Nigeria has everything to lose, particularly the huge funds that have already been sunk into the project, if the agitators for the inclusion of the two elements (questions) religion and ethnicity were to have their way.
The news came just as it was gathered that the NPC has procured several marine boats, and a stand by helicopter for use in Rivers State during the forthcoming national population census.
The boats are to be used to penetrate the riverine communities while the use of helicopter will ensure proper monitoring of the exercise.
In his statement during the interactive session, Makama insisted that there was no hidden agenda in the decision to exclude the two questions of religion and ethnicity, adding that if religion and ethnicity were included in the national census, it would polarise the country and the consequences of which he asserted would be dire.
The chairman who spoke on the goals of a national census asked rhetorically,”Did the European Union invest almost N20 billion in the census to promote the interest of the Hausa or Yoruba ethnic group, or for the muslims, christians or pagans? Nigeria has every thing to lose if these two issues are included. And that means, the N34.5 billion will go down the drains.”
According to him, “the situation where Nigerians will be polarised on the basis of either religion or ethnicity has obvious consequences. That will spell doom for the country, just as the census will be rejected,” he further argued.
Stakeholders, the chairman added, which included former heads of state as well as serving governors who took the decision “in their collective wisdom”, to exclude the two subjects could not have been wrong.
Makama restated that the decision to exclude religion and ethinicity from the national census was based on national interest.
He added that since the exercise was for national development, every interest in the Nigerian federation would be protected.
He counseled those that are threatening to boycott the exercise to think twice because, such persons or communities, he stressed, would only have themselves to blame, as “there will be no other separate, census for anybody until after 10 years.
“It is not in the interest of any part of the country to boycott the census because it is an exercise organised once in 10 years. So you will rather have yourself to blame since we cannot have any separate exercise for any community”, he explained.
On whether Nigerians in the Diaspora would be counted, Makama stated that the commission lacked the capacity and logistics to include such people, noting that there was a price for everything.
“Those who are off to Australia for the Commonwealth Games, those who are away to holy lands for pilgrimage and some other Nigerians living abroad, will not be part of this, except those who are within the shores of the country during the exercise,” the Plateau born-chairman stressed.
In a related development, the National Population Commission has procured several marine boats, and a stand by helicopter for use in Rivers State during the forthcoming national population census.
The boats are to be used to penetrate the riverine communities while the use of helicopter will ensure proper monitoring of the exercise.
Also, Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State at the weekend warned that his government would not condone any attempt to subvert the forthcoming census exercise in the state.
The federal commissioner in charge of Rivers State in the commission, Alhaji Bello Abubakar Wudil, disclosed at the weekend to journalists in Port Harcourt, that no part of the state would be left uncovered no matter the location.
Wudil said a total of 27, 056 ad-hoc staff had been engaged in the state by NPC for the exercise out of which 2,020 were supervisors while the rest were enumerators.
He added that local languages would be used in areas where English is not conversantly spoken so as to guide the people for the exercise.
He said the commission had already started the distribution of census materials to all the 23 local government areas in the state to forestall any late arrival of materials at the respective centers.
The commissioner said he had directed that the materials be sent to the 23 council areas before March 21, 2006.
Meanwhile, Governor Odili has said that it is an offence for residents of the state to leave the state warning that his government would not take it lightly with residents who travel out for the purposes of the exercise.
Speaking shortly after arrival from Abuja on an official engagement Odili said “It is important that you remain and be counted only once, where you live and do your normal daily business.
“We would like to urge all residents in Rivers State to ensure that they make themselves available to the enumeration officers who would visit their various houses and offices.”
In a related development, the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, has enjoined the people of his emirate to cooperate with the enumerators during the exercise.
The Emir who spoke in a broadcast at the weekend in Kaduna also called on the people of the state to ensure that they are counted.
While explaining that government would use the data obtained from census to determine the number of infrastructure and social amenities to be provided for the people, he appealed to them to conduct themselves
properly and peacefully during the exercise. |
