The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) will not be a threat to the 2023 national population and housing census scheduled to hold from May 3 to 5.
Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC) in Enugu State, Ejike Eze, spoke yesterday in Enugu with the News Agency of Nigeria.
He said the group had understood the need to allow residents participate in the exercise to make it successful, as doing otherwise would not help its cause.
Eze noted that the NPC had encounters with IPOB in two local governments of Enugu State during the demarcation of the areas, preparatory to the headcount, but the intervention by the government resolved the issues.
He said,
“IPOB has embarked on advocacy to encourage people to participate in the census.
“We have been able to engage IPOB to convince it that its agitation requires information the census will provide.”
Eze dismissed calls for a shift in the dates of the exercise, noting that census was not the same as election where there were competitors, winners and losers.
He dismissed claims that the N869 billion budgeted for the exercise was exorbitant, saying it was the least when compared with the budgets of other countries.
“The U.S.A. spent between 12 dollars and 15 dollars (N5,760 -N7,200) to count a citizen, while Malawi spent nine dollars (N4,320) per citizen. In Nigeria, however, we are making a proposal to spend six dollars (N2,880) to count a citizen,” he added.