“Those who are fanatical about religion or tribe will want the outcome
to be in favour of their religion or tribe.” 
A former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida, on Tuesday urged the
National Population Commission, NPC, to adequately publicise the aims and
objectives of census before embarking on the 2016 head count. He also advised
the commission not to include religion and ethnicity in the census data.
Mr. Babangida made the call when some staff members of the NPC, led by Aliyu Datti, visited him in Minna.
Mr. Babangida made the call when some staff members of the NPC, led by Aliyu Datti, visited him in Minna.
“Wrong perception of what census is all about which characterised past
head counts conducted in the country had rendered the exercise controversial.
“This development should be discouraged.
“We are all Nigerians. We should not go to war over census figures’’,
he said.
Mr. Babangida said the inclusion of religion and tribe as part of the
information required is one of the main causes of the controversies which
usually come up at the end of every exercise.
“Those who are fanatical about religion or tribe will want the outcome
to be in favour of their religion or tribe.
“We should try and remove all these things that tend to cause
controversy’’, he added.
He said the 1991 census conducted by his administration failed to
impress on the people that head count was not about religion or tribe but about
numbers needed for planning at all levels of government.
He commended the ongoing sensitisation by the NPC, adding that it would
go a long way in strengthening census in the country.
“If we are able to make the next exercise look normal and devoid of all
these issues, it will help get rid of the attendant controversies after the
exercise,” Mr. Babangida said.
He urged the commission to ensure adequate publicity and sensitisation
of the next exercise.
Earlier, Mr. Datti told the former head of state that the commission
was consulting with principal actors of previous census to ensure that the 2016
exercise was acceptable.
(NAN)
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