By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri
The Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulkareem Lawan, has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for postponing the national population and housing census scheduled for May 2023.
Lawan said that the commendation followed the displacement of many people from Borno North senatorial district by members of Boko Haram terrorists, and who may not be enumerated had the census allowed to hold as schedule.
The Speaker gave the commendation while reacting to the announced postponement in an interview with journalists in Maiduguri on Saturday, revealing that majority of the peope from the 10 local government areas in Northern Borno, especially, Guzamala, Abadam, Kukawa, Marte and Mobbar are still displaced, while others are taking refuge in neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroun Republics for over a decade.
The Speaker lamented that conducting the 2023 census would have amounted to infringement of the human rights of many displaced persons and victims of the Boko Haram sect in the region, which could also deprived other millions of Nigerians, who had been displaced from their ancestral homes and were living in internally displaced persons, IDP, camps and other parts of the country.
He said, “Honestly, I commend President Buhari for postponing the national population and housing census scheduled for May 2023. This is because, majority of our peope from the 10 local government areas in Northern Borno, especially, Guzamala, Abadam, Kukawa, Marte and Mobbar are still displaced, while others are taking refuge in neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroun Republics for over a decade.
“Therefore, conducting such an exercise, is not only ill-timed or injustice, but would amount to infringement of our human rights as many displaced persons and victims of the Boko Haram sect in the region could be deprived, in addition to millions of Nigerians who had been displaced from their ancestral homes and were living in internally displaced persons, IDP, camps and other parts of the country.
“I described the President’s decision as a welcome development, even as I urge the military and other security agencies who are fighting Boko Haram/ISWAP to intensify their efforts to restore civil authority in Guzamala council headquarters and other communities that are still ghost-towns for many years.
“This is neccessary to enable all the displaced persons return to their ancestral homes and pick up the pieces of their lives.”
