House of Reps want the 2021 population census is postponed

House of Reps wants the 2021 population census is postponed due to the worsening security issues the country is currently facing.

The House of Representatives has called for the postponement of the 2021 population and housing census being planned by the National Population Commission (NPC) to be postponed due to the insecurity Nigeria is dealing with.

The house which made the decision at its plenary on Wednesday, the 5th of May 2021 stated that the country was not safe for carrying out the exercise due to the increasing insecurity in Nigeria.

The House presided over by the Speaker, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, advised the Federal Government to suspend the exercise till such a time the country was safe enough for it.

The resolution of the House was passed following a motion moved by a member representing Bosso/Paikoro Federal Constituency of Niger State, Rep. Shehu Beji.

The lawmaker who led the debate on the motion explained to the House that many factors would go against the accuracy of the figures that would be obtained and the overall success of the exercise due largely to insecurity.

For instance, Beji said, “the safety of enumerators would not be guaranteed in many parts of the country.”

He also explained that many households will not be willing to make family members available for counting because of the fear of the unknown.

He added that it would be unwise under the current circumstances to post enumerators to some parts of the country currently considered to be uncomfortable.

Furthermore, Berji argued that the fact that many locations would not be reached by enumerators was enough a reason to hold on with the exercise until security stabilizes in the country to a large extent.

The key prayer of his motion urged the House to “call on the Federal Government to suspend the exercise until the security of the country stabilizes.”

The prayer was endorsed by the House in a majority voice vote.

The Chairman of the NPC, Nasir Isa Kwarra, was also invited to explain how feasible it would be to conduct a population and housing census in the country in the midst of the current security challenges.

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