...assures enumerators  of adequate security

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has inaugurated the Benue State Security and Logistics as well as the Publicity and and Advocacy Committees of the forthcoming 2023 National Population and Housing Census with assurances that the government would ensure a hitch-free exercise in the state.

Performing the inauguration of the two committees separately, Tuesday in Makurdi, the Governor who was represented by his Special Adviser on Security Matters and Chairman of the Security and Logistics Committee, Lt. Col. Paul Hemba(retd) noted the importance of the coming census to the overall growth and development of the country.

He assured that adequate security would be provided to ensure that enumerators visited all the nooks and crannies of the state to carry out the exercise.

The Governor also noted that “given the scope of the census which will involve the counting of every person resident in Nigeria and taking place simultaneously in every household in the country, adequate publicity and advocacy is imperative to the overall success of census exercise.

“This becomes even more crucial in view of the fact that the census is taking place immediately after the conduct of the 2023 general elections hence, more efforts are needed to sensitize the populace about the forthcoming census and to assure them that the census will be credible and accurate and the results accepted.”

While reeling out the terms of reference of the two committees, the Governor charged the committee members to be guided by their terms of reference and also deploy their wealth of experience in carrying out the national assignment.

Ealier, the National Population Commission, NPC, Federal Commissioner for Benue state, Mrs. Patricia Kupchi advised Nigerians to report for immediate arrest any enumerator who enquires about their tribe or religion during the exercise.

She said, “it is important to note that anyone who comes to enumerate and starts asking you of your tribe and religion, get him or her arrested immediately because that is not in our questionnaire, that person must be fake.”

Mr. Kupchi who assured that the coming census would be the best ever conducted in Nigeria stated that the country would witness movement restrictions in the five days the exercise would last.

She also assured that all Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, would be enumerated in the camps or the host communities where they reside, stressing that “nobody will be left out in the exercise, even the unborn child, no matter where you are in the country you will be counted.”

In their separate remarks, the State Director of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mr. Joseph Ijir pointed out the importance of the coming census stressing that the exercise would be scientifically based “so we urge all Nigerians to support the exercise to ensure it turns out a huge success by mobilising each and everyone of us to get counted.”

On her part, the representative of the National Council of Women Societies, NCWS, Mrs. Theresa Dewua assured that the organisation would partner the NPC to ensure the success of the exercise.

Also, Comrade Richard Ubur of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, assured that the union would not relent in lending its support to the success of the exercise.

Responding on behalf of the security and logistics committee, the Commandant Nigeria Navy Provost and Regulating School Makurdi, Commodore Chindo Yahaya represented by Lt. Commander Ephraim Ugbana assured the commission of the support of security agencies saying “we will do everything within our powers to ensure the successful conduct of the census in the state.”