In a recent
news report, the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has called on the
Federal Government to suspend the conduct of the May 3, 2023 national
population and housing census. Speaking at a meeting with a delegation from the
Middle Belt Forum, Ortom noted that many indigenes are in internally displaced
persons (IDP) camps and would not be counted in the census. For the exercise to
hold successfully, he advised the President Muhammadu administration to improve
security and resettle IDPs in their ancestral homes to be captured in the
census.
Ortom also
raised concerns about injustice, bias, and tribalism in the country that must
be addressed before the nation can move forward. He expressed his doubts about
the proposed census exercise, stating that it seemed to be coming with an
agenda. Ortom suggested that the exercise should be suspended until the
government could restore security and provide all IDPs with the opportunity to
be counted. According to the National Population Commission (NPC), those to be
counted must be counted in their localities.
On the other
hand, the NPC Chairman, Dr. Harry Ikpalibo, believes that technology is not
failing Nigeria, despite the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) hiccups
during the general elections. Although the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) was unable to maximize the technological equipment at its
disposal during the polls, Ikpalibo explained that things could improve, and
manipulations checked with slight adjustments in subsequent elections.
Ikpalibo
stated that the Personal Digital Assistance (PDA), hand and telephone devices,
used by the NPC to speed up operations during the election, were not special
equipment but normal Samsung android devices. He emphasized that INEC
activities were only for a few hours or a day, while the NPC’s census exercise
lasted for a whole five days. Despite these challenges, the NPC is hopeful that
his organization would deliver creditably. Solid arrangements are on the ground
to conduct a census whose outcome will reflect the true reflection of things,
according to Ikpalibo.
