Afenifere asks FG to suspend national census

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has asked the federal government to suspend the National Housing and Population Census scheduled to begin on May 3. 

The body requested this in a communique issued at the end of its monthly meeting held at the residence of its acting leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, in Isanya Ogbo, Ogun State. 

Afenifere in the communique signed by the Secretary General, Sola Ebiseni, and made available to our correspondent on Thursday, expressed concerns over the timing, adding that the N100 billion budget for the exercise is ‘scandalous and an economic offence’. 

The group recalled that it had earlier in a paper it presented at the National Consultative Forum on the 2023 Census held at the Banquet Hall, State House Abuja on August 11, 2022  argued that the census should not hold in the same year of a general election. 

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It stated that other well-meaning personalities and institutions including the UNFPA Resident Representative in Nigeria and most recently the Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Calabar, have all raised concerns about having an acceptable headcount in the current mood of the nation aftermath the election.

The group, while reiterating its stance that Peter Obi of the Labour Party won the February 25 presidential election, called on the judiciary to ensure that all petitions in respect of the election are timeously and justly resolved before the end of the tenure of the Buhari administration.

It added that the emergence of a president of southern and specifically South East origin would guarantee equity, fairness and peaceful corporate existence of Nigeria.