Posted by From NWABUEZE OKONKWO, Onitsha; EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri; JOE OMOKARO, Lagos on
The two-day extension of the enumeration of Nigerians by the Federal Government has been hailed by a cross section of prominent indigenes of Anambra State.
•Delta community protests materials hijack
•People are free to go to church -Police
The two-day extension of the enumeration of Nigerians by the Federal Government has been hailed by a cross section of prominent indigenes of Anambra State. Speaking to newsmen who monitored the exercise yesterday, the President of the Christian Assoiciation of Nigeria (CAN), His Grace Maxwell Anikwenwa, Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo of Nawfia, Chief Austin Ezenwa of Abagana, and Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Ozo Ughamadu and former AD Governorship candidate in the 2003 elections in Anambra State, Chief Ifeanyi Nwokoye said the extension would give credibility to the exercise.
According to them, the import of the census lay in the gathering of statistics for planning of national development and provision of socio-economic amenities and equitable distribution national resources. Anikwenwa traced the head and house counting exercise to the Bible where Joseph and Mary, the parents of Jesus Christ were seen going for census, stressing that the Biblical roots of census was the reason why CAN kicked against the exclusion of religion and ethnicity as important variables in data collection for the census.
He urged the Anambra State government to declare Monday and Tuesday which have been set aside for the census exercise as public holidays to enable the citizens participate fully in the exercise.
In his own remarks, the Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Ozo Ughamadu said the House set up a Committee on Census, under the leadership of Hon. Obidigbo and Hon. Frank Igboka, adding that the proper sensitization was done even at the grassroots level for all to participate.
Ughamadu however feared that sabotage, disruption and poor planning as well as late commencement of the exercise might result in incorrect figures being posted for Anambra State.
Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo, the traditional ruler of Nawfia who even advocated for one-month extension a more accurate result hailed the Federal Government for the two-day extension, stressing that those who had not been able to present themselves for the counting would have the opportunity to do so.
Nwankwo expressed optimism that if proper census were conducted in Nigeria, the Igbos would emerge the most populous group in Nigeria, a situation he said the use of ethnicity would have resolved adding that the current census might have hiccups but might be the best so far conducted.
Meanwhile, thousands of Ijaws in Ogulagha community where the largest Forcados oil terminal in Africa is located, at the weekend protested the hijack of census materials by neighbouring Odimodi community and called for the intervention of President Olusegun Obasanjo and Governor James Ibori in order to avert a bloody fallout.
The two communities were embroiled in a bloody mayhem over boundary dispute in which several persons were killed and property worth millions of naira destroyed until recently when the matter was resolved.
In a petition forwarded to the Federal Government and the National Population Commission by Barrister Friday Seimode, embittered Ogulagha community also protested against the manipulation, diversion and suppression of legitimate enumeration areas originally demarcated for the census exercise. They called on the government to look into the matter with disperse.
Seimode, who signed the petition on behalf of the community has, therefore, called for the correction of the anomaly or the immediate suspension of the entire exercise to avert a possible break down of law and order, while the matter is been resolved.
The people condemned the attempt to deny the three Okuntu villages in Ogulagha the opportunity to participate in the census exercise, adding that the situation, if not checked will undermine their population and also deny the people their political aspiration. "Our grouse is that original enumeration areas which was about 150 before the exercise was pruned down to 37. We want the status quo to remain as the area that hosts the largest oil terminal in Africa where both Shell and Chevron Oil Companies have their workers," said the aggrieved community.
However, the people of Okere-Urhobo Kingdom have decried the attempt to short-change them in the on going exercise as the enumeration materials are yet to be released to them so that they could be counted.
While applauding the extension of the exercise, Chiefs Emmanuel Okumagba and Wilson Eboh (Awhotu and President General, Okere-Urhobo Kingdom) wondered why the Urhobo in the area are being
Meanwhile, contrary to expectation, the Lagos State Police Command yesterday gave an all clear signal for Christians who may wish to go for Sunday worship in churches today.
The announcement allays fears of Christians who may have assumed that the extension of the on-going national head count to Monday with its restriction on movement may debar them from today's service in churches across Lagos.
Giving this clarification amid fear of possible arrest of intending worshipers, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Emmanuel Adebayo said that "people are free to go church." He added that "once somebody has been counted such person is free to go out and anyone who is not counted will not stay the whole day in the church, because it is the civic responsibility of every Nigerian to be counted,".
According to him the exercise had to be extended because many Nigerians are yet to be counted.
The police boss said the only thing that necessitate arrest is "when somebody refuses to be counted or prevents the enumerators from doing their job."
Sunday Sun gathered that Mr. Adebayo yesterday held meetings with Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and Area Commanders to access the exercise and close up any lapses.