Suspend census until you resettle IDPs, Ortom tells FG

NPC hopeful of seamless tech deployment amid BVAS hiccups
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to suspend conduct of the May 3, 2023 national population and housing census.

Making the appeal when he received a delegation from the Middle Belt Forum, led by its President, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, in Makurdi, the governor noted that many indigenes are in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and would not be counted.

For the exercise to hold successfully, Ortom advised the President Muhammadu administration to improve security and resettle IDPs in their ancestral homes to be captured.

“I want to say that the Federal Government should suspend the issue of census because it looks like the proposed exercise is coming with an agenda. So, until they are able to restore security and all our IDPs go back to their ancestral lands to give all of them opportunities to be counted. Because I understand from the National Population Commission (NPC) that those to be counted must be counted in their localities,” he said .

The governor submitted that there is so much injustice, bias and tribalism in the country that must be addressed for the nation to move forward.

IN a related development, NPC Chairman, Dr. Harry Ikpalibo, believes that technology is not failing Nigeria, despite Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) hiccups during this year’s general elections.

Noting though that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could not maximise the technological equipment at its disposal during the polls, Ikpalibo explained that things could improve and manipulations checked with slight adjustments in subsequent elections.

He said: “The one I can talk about is the use of our Personal Digital Assistance (PDA), our hand and telephone devices. Ours is not a special equipment – it is a normal Samsung android equipment. It is used to speed up operations such that the counting would not take longer than five days.

“INEC activities are just for few hours or a day. Ours is a whole five days.”

The NPC is, however, hopeful that his organisation would deliver creditably.

He hinted that the solid arrangements are on ground to conduct a census, whose outcome will reflect true reflection of things.