•Headcount is too important to suffer indiscriminate postponements
CONTRARY to the advocacy of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, that the census slated for 2018 be postponed again, there are many advantages in going ahead with it. It is a shame that Nigeria is yet to have a universally accepted headcount since independence in 1960. Even under colonial rule, manipulation was the name of the game. Consequently, planning has always been based on guess work.
This is one reason why Nigerians have looked forward to another census that would leverage on technological advancement. There is no doubt that a lot has happened in the world and at the national level since the last census in 2006. The banking sector, vehicle registration and voter registration have been moved to the electronic platform, thus making it imperative that the next census advance the same course.
This must have prompted the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC) to promise that the count would meet up with international standards, starting with an accurate pre-enumeration mapping. The commission has been active in lobbying the National Assembly with a view to getting the lawmakers appreciate its efforts and the benefits. It is, therefore, surprising that the speaker would be expressing doubt that the exercise could hold next year. More ludicrous and unacceptable is the reason he adduced. He said preparations for 2019 elections would stand in the way of a credible census because politicians would manipulate the process with a view to achieving political gains.
We cannot understand the link. The National Assembly has just approved electoral reforms that would enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) go the whole hog in removing human error and manipulation during the voting process. In 2015, there was a lot of improvement in the electoral process following the introduction of the Permanent Voter Card and card reader. We hope much more would be achieved in 2019.
It is therefore incredible that Mr. Dogara would be scared that it could be business as usual. Rather than cave in to this fear, we call on the Buhari administration to work towards leaving a legacy of restructuring the federation. Manipulation of the system in all ramifications is fuelled by the competition to attract more resources from the centre. The only real solution is devolution of power. There is no reason why local governments should be funded from the centre. Each state, as was the case with the regions in the First Republic, should independently design its local government system and apply its funds in maintaining the local councils. There is equally no justification for the Federal Government to hold on to more than 50 per cent of federally collected revenue. States should generate their resources and control them, remitting no more than 25 per cent to the centre for administration of foreign affairs, currency and such common issues.
This is the solution; not shifting dates of census. We are miffed that the headcount that should be conducted every decade has already been shifted too many times. It took about 15 years after the 1991 census conducted by the Babangida administration before the Obasanjo government could muster the courage to conduct another. Going by the rule, another ought to have been held last year; but that was not to be and even when it was moved to this year, lack of preparation made it impracticable.
The executive and the legislature should do everything to ensure that the pre-census end of the plan is held this year. Nigeria cannot continue to guess its population. We deserve to know the population of the various states, local government areas, cities, towns, constituencies and settlements. Unless a credible headcount is conducted, delimitation of constituencies by INEC would be based on false parameters. The world around us is moving, we should make progress too.
