Save Nigeria Movement Berates Ortom for Advocating Postponement of National Census

• The Save Nigeria Movement has rejected the call by Samuel Ortom for the postponement of the forthcoming national population and housing census
• According to the movement, the call is highly insensitive, unreasonable and antithetical to Nigeria’s development
• Ortom had last week called for a postponement of the exercise scheduled to commence May 3, insisting that it would affect many Benue state people

Benue state Governor, Samuel Ortom, has been berated for calling for the forthcoming national population and housing census.

The governor was blasted by the Save Nigeria Movement who described his call as highly insensitive, unreasonable and antithetical to Nigeria’s development.

The governor had recently noted that a large number of Benue people were still in the Internally Displaced Persons IDP camps and may not eligible to participate in the exercise because they are not in their localities. He therefore called for a postponement of the exercise scheduled to commence May 3.

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However, in a statement made available to Legit.ng, SNM convener, Solomon Semaka said as the country struggles through an election season in which those who lost are desperately trying to sow seeds of discord, it is important for Civil Society Organisations to speak up in defense of truth.

He said:

"Of particular concern to us and indeed all well meaning Nigerians is the lame, unpopular, and barbaric fixation of Governor Ortom aimed at constantly attacking, criticising and vilifying every Federal Government Policy as a way of gaining cheap popularity in the face of blatant inability to perform his constitutional duties to the people of Benue who voted him into power 8 years ago.

"Even in the twilight of his administration and having shamefully lost his senatorial ambition, Ortom does not deem it fit to pick another hobby. His juvenile tantrums are becoming embarrassing and to extend his juvenile tendencies to the well received and accepted forthcoming Census exercise is a joke taken too far.

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"Benue state with four Universities and more than five other institution of higher learning stands to benefit more from this Census exercise more than any State. The pool of graduates churned out of these institutions and the need to establish industries to cater for the employment needs of the state through the abundant agro-allied and natural raw materials are just some few benefits of a Census to Benue indigenes and Nigerians at large. The fact that job creation, industrial and social development and education are the direct benefits of a Census exercise is lost on Ortom who uses every opportunity to attack, ridicule and castigate the Federal Government is quite unfortunate.

"Clearly, the fact that Gov Ortom doesn't see the need to support the federal government to successfully conduct the 2023 Census shows how inept he is as a leader."

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Meanwhile, the national population commission (NPC) has disclosed that Nigerians would not answer questions on religious affiliation during the 2023 census programme.

The commission said this ahead of the commencement of the 2023 census in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, March 29.

The statement, which was signed by Isiaka Yahaya, the director of public affairs of the commission, disclosed the decision to exclude religion and ethnicity from the questionnaires.

Source: Legit.ng