NADECO Raises Concerns over Credible Census
The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) United States of America (USA) chapter has raised the fear that the planned 2023 census may fail to produce accurate human and housing population figures for the country tasking citizens to be wary of the project.
NADECO raised the fears in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Lloyd Ukwu, and made available to the media yesterday.
NADECO cited the alleged fraud, manipulations, criticisms and complaints from within and outside the country that have trailed the just concluded general election as reasons to be cynical that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government is capable and sincere in its aspiration of a genuine census for the country.
It further described the amount of money mapped out for the exercise as a waste, given the poor state of the nation’s economy, debt profile and the glaring possibility that the census may not yield a positive outcome.
Ukwu said: “Elections and census form the cornerstone of democracy. Many crucial national decisions rely on census figures. So if the Buhari administration could not count those who voted in the last elections, which makes Nigerians think that his administration is marred with so much irregularities, where the number of voters in election are higher than registered voters, how are they going to be able to count the entire which is much larger that the registered
voters.”
“In Nasir Isa Kwarra heading National Population Commission, Nadeco and Nigerians see another INEC’s Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu.”
“A humongous bill of N1trillion ($2.4 billion) has been penciled down for the census, averaging N5,000 per 200 million citizens. In our economic mess of about N77 trillion debt today and abject poverty nationwide spending N1 trillion on Census is not only wasteful but dumb and criminal negligence,” he added.
NADECO also warned against a bloated population figures based on landmass by a section of the country, which would in future years be used against the people of Nigeria, especially southern states.
The group, which also queried the timing of the census on the eve of the exit of Buhari ,said it would be better if the census was postponed or boycotted by the masses given anticipated agitations and disputes by aggrieved Nigerians in a situation where figures released don’t match reality.
NADECO decried the situation where the controversy trailing the just concluded elections were not resolved and the government was planning to add more chaos to the polity with a possible census controversy.
It claimed that the Buhari’s administration had brought Nigeria’s image to an irredeemable point in the eyes of international community, while stressing that the actions of people in power pointed towards a crystal-clear mission and objective of self-aggrandisement and enrichment.
“Please do not allow Buhari to plunge Nigeria into an avoidable existential catastrophe. This administration expires on May 29, 2023, so why the hurry to commit another fraud on the unsuspecting Nigerian people? The issues surrounding the past election must be resolved first and foremost. Here is a man who is still stuck with sham elections and a bungled naira exchange, presently considering a national census exercise. Absolutely suspicious timing and motives,” Ukwu said.
