In what appears to be an acknowledgement that the headcount may not have gone well in several parts of the country, President Olusegun Obasanjo this morning announced a two-day extension (March 26 and 27) for the National Census to ensure that all Nigerians get counted for the exercise that has continued to suffer hitches across the country. In his second national broadcast on the national census, the President stated that Monday would be a work-free day for only people who were yet to be counted, just as he added that census enumerators and supervisors would be paid all their allowances as from Wednesday, March 29.
While advising Nige-rians against multiple thumb-printing, President Obasanjo said that the Police and security agencies would continue to be fair but would not hesitate to deal decisively with people who would attempt to undermine the exercise.
The President, who thanked all Nigerians for their understanding of the importance of the census exercise, stated that �at the request of the National Population Commission (NPC), a meeting of major stakeholders was held to evaluate, review and analyse the conduct of the Census thus far. We noted certain initial problems and came up with solutions. At the end of the deliberation, the National Population Commission requested for a two-day extension to enable it and its officials get to the rural and remote areas and areas not yet counted as well as to address some lingering problems.
�The overall objective is to ensure that all Nigerians and all residents in Nigeria are counted,” he added. President Obasanjo who said that he was indeed delighted that Nigerians have risen to the challenge of being counted and also appreciated the initial difficulties experienced at the start of the counting, advised that �there is no point in multiple registrations or double thumb printing. The machines will reject them. Photocopied forms NPC 01 will not be accepted because machines will reject them. The police and security forces will remain fair but very firm against any one that attempts to disrupt or undermine the census process�.
Obasanjo appealed to all employers, in the public and private sectors to release their workers so that they would be counted. According to him, the commitment demonstrated in working together to ensure a hitch-free head and house count will no doubt set an example for the future. Drawing attention to some facts as they relate to the national census, President Obasanjo appealed to all Nigerians to join hands in the spirit of a new Nigeria to ensure the full success of the 2006 census exercise: “The benefits of planning for growth, development, infrastructure and basic needs are so important that we cannot afford to take the census for granted. It is a duty to self and the nation to make one�s self available to be counted as prescribed in the law�.
The extention of the census exercise is coming amidst continuing crisis across the country. Cases of alleged hoarding and insufficient enumeration materials continued for most of yesterday.
In Kwara State, over 500 communities were yet to be counted as at yesterday evening. Thisday checks at Ajase, Ganmo, Amayo, Oro, Offa, Oyun Irepodun and Ilorin metropolis revealed that the residents were still waiting to receive the enumerators. It was equally noticed that enumerations were not done in several other area as a result of lack of materials and human resources.
Governor Bukola Saraki appealed to National Population Commissioner in the state, Professor Belchukwu Eme to “make necessary corrections before it is too late.”
In Abeokuta, Ogun State, over 200 enumerators yesterday, staged a peaceful demonstration against alleged diversion of enumeration materials by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. The protesters in their multitude, at about 9.30am first took their protest to Ake, the headquarters of the Abeokuta South Local Government, and later moved to the palace of the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo.
At the palace of the Egba monarch, the protesting enumerators complained of diversion of materials, non-payment of their allowances and shortage of enumeration materials among other things.
According to one of the protesters, Mr. Kunle Olanrewaju, who spoke to THISDAY at the palace, the decision to stage the peaceful protest was actually to press for the payment of their allowances and the non-availability of some necessary materials to work with. �We decided to protest because of the suffering we have been going through,� he said, stressing that while some of their colleagues were being paid N2, 500, �we were given only N1,500.�
He stated further that �Our money as well as enumeration materials, we learnt have been diverted by some political holders in the council.� In the account of another enumerator who however spoke under the condition of anonymity, the problems of the shortage of materials were a deliberate ploy by members of the ruling party in the state to under-enumerate certain local government in the state for obvious political reason.
But in their reactions, the State Chairman of PDP, Chief Joju Fadiro, the Chairman of the Elders Forum Council, Alhaji Sule Onabiyi and another chieftain, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi described the allegation as a ruse which was aimed at maligning the state Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel Describing the allegations as senseless thought, the party leadership wondered how could anyone in his “right senses link the Governor with such an allegation.”
However, the Chairman of Abeokuta South Local Government, Mr. Akeem Odejimi and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Titi Oseni later appealed to the protesting enumerators.
The two party leaders also alleged under-payment by
the NPC to its enumerators. While faulting the allegation, the National Population Commission (NPC) Federal Commis-sioner in charge of Ogun State, Alhaji brahim Aliyu, said he was not aware of such an allegation, but said he was actually aware that there were some teething problems in some areas which bothered on the shortage of enumeration materials.
In Osun State, as at last night, many residents were still battling with NPC officials in all the 30 local government councils of the state over shortage of enumeration materials. Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, obviously frustrated by shortage of materials, threatened to deal with any NPC officials who engage in any census malpractice. Oyinlola in a statement issued in Osogbo on Friday signed by the Secretary to the State Government(SSG), Alhaji Fatai Akinbade expressed disappointment over the way and manner some Controllers, Supervisors and Enumerators had been handling the census in the state.
According to the statement, the alleged hoarding and insufficient of census materials have been identified as the major factors that have been affecting the non-counting of many residents in the state, and “it would not be condoned by the government.”
Oyinlola said the government had committed a lot of money to the exercise and would not allow any person to jeopardize the efforts of the government at realizing an acceptable census in the country.
The statement added: “The reports from all the 30 local government revealed that some of the controllers, supervisors and enumerators are behind the insufficient and hoarding of the census materials in Osun state and we will not allow such situation to continue so as to make the exercise a huge success.
“Anybody caught in the act we will be made to face the wrath of law in order to serve as a deterrent to others in the future”.
Oyinlola therefore called on the NPC officials in the state to stay away from any act capable of impeding the success of the national headcount in the state.”
Also yesterday in Osogbo, a National Population Commission official was quizzed by the men of the State Security Service(SSS) and the Nigeria Police (NP) for allegedly hoarding census materials and allowances of the enumerators running into several thousands of naira.
The enumerator identified as Mr. Bankole Moses was attached to Osogbo Local Government council area of the state and was said to have absconded with census materials and allowances meant for the enumerators in the NUJ/Unity Estate Enumeration Area
It was gathered that, the Supervisor was picked up following a tip off from the people of the area and was subsequently interrogated by the police.
The development led to the searching of the house of the official where police met empty cartoons of the materials and the money.
It took the intervention of the Chairman of Osogbo Local Government Council, Alhaji Liadi Gbadamosi before the official could be released.
In Delta State, the story was the same as the Agbarho community and other communities in the state lamented the poor coverage of their areas by the census officials.
�Just as the exercise is about to end, they haven�t counted one-tenth of our communities�, said Mr Godwin Etakibuebu, spokesman of Agbarho community. In Awka, Senator Ben Ndi Obi representing Anambra Central Senatorial district in the upper Chamber of the National Assembly, said the discovered that there were so many people waiting to be counted but there were no enumerators to attend to them.
Because of this discovery, Obi said he went to the local government�s offices of the NPC in the district and its state office in Awka where he was assured by the comptrollers on the ground and the state Director respectively that everything would be done to ensure that Anambra people were adequately enumerated. Senator Obi admitted that the arrangements put in place by NPC for the successful conduct of the exercise did not work well due to disruptions by alleged MASSOB members in many parts of the state but added that inadequacy of census materials also ensured a late take-off of the exercise in the state generally. He however observed that by late yesterday, things had picked-up and expressed the hope that every Anambra person would be counted.
But NPC officials in Awka insisted that the logistic and security problems notwithstanding, the commission expected that the exercise would be successful in the Anambra State, and would need no extension, given the availability of men and materials in it�s arsenal for the exercise. At the NPC office, in Awka South council area for instance, the comptroller, Joachim Ulasi said they had no problems except for sporadic attacks from suspected MASSOB members who snatched census bags, adding that four of such incidents had been recorded as at yesterday and the police had waded in to effect some arrests. Some of the enumerators, he said were afraid to continue and needed some local guides into the villages to effect the enumeration of people there.
His counter-part at Abagana, Njikoka council area, Emma Ihenatuoha said the NPC forms 01, for enumeration were available and that other materials had arrived and had been distributed. He assured total coverage of towns in the council area before the end of the exercise.
Mr. Innocent Alilionwu, the NPC state director in Anambra State who spoke on-behalf of the federal commissioner in the state, Tijani Kaura when senator Obi visited the commission�s office in Awka said people were unable to get counted on the first day because of logistic problem but that in the last two days of the exercise, a lot more people would be enumerated because of the two day restriction which kept people in doors.
In Enugu, as residents continued to obey the sit at home order to be enumerated, miscreants believed to be members of MASSOB launched fresh attacks on enumerators in parts of the state. The miscreants dispossessed their victims of their personal effects and census materials at gunpoint.
The ugly developments came just as some Local Government Chairmen stormed the state office of the NPC to complain of shortage of materials in their areas. They also demanded an extension of the exercise for two days if all the people of the state must be counted.
Reports of violence that characterized the headcount in parts of the state, compelled Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, to hold a meeting yesterday,with local government chairmen at the Government House, Enugu, to find a solution to the problem.
Mar252006