Conducting Census Is Sensitive – Makama

The immediate past Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Suma’ila Makama, has said that conducting a census requires a lot of courage and sensitivity.

Makama made the observation in Abuja on Monday night at dinner organised by the UN Population Fund to mark the Day of Seven Billion during which he was honoured with a parting gift for his work at the NPC.

“The road to census in Nigeria is littered with many banana peels; its manipulation and politicisation must be avoided at all levels.”

According to him, the job of conducting the census is supposed to be a simple statistical exercise but this is usually not the case in Nigeria.

“The exercise is full of land mines and has the potential of destabilising the government and the country if enough care is not taken to make it worthy of acceptance nationally and internationally.”

Makama blamed the problem on the predetermination of census figures by some people who, he said, would not accept anything that did not meet their expectations.

He said the concern most people had during his tenure was never an under-count but an over-count of census figures.

The former NPC chairman said that it was through the use of cutting edge technology and transparency that the 2006 National Housing and Population Census was able to stand the test of time.

He said that he was leaving the commission with mixed feelings and thanked all national and international stakeholders for their support.

Makama called on them to support the next chairman because the job was not an easy one.

“To politicise every issue is to jeopardise national interest and aspirations.”

The UN Resident Coordinator, Mr Daouda Toure, said that if Africa was to reap the benefit of its population it must invest in its huge human capital.

He said that because Nigeria was the most populous and one of the more developed countries in Africa, all eyes were on it to lead the way.

The UN would continue to support Nigeria in all its endeavours, Toure said.

“In the words of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, some say our planet is overcrowded but I say we are seven billion strong.

“In our interconnected world, we all have something to give. Let’s unite and stand strong.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Makama conducted the 2006 census successfully and was an apostle of proper birth registration in the country.