Lagos — AS the 2006 National Population and Housing Census gets underway today, President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned against people migrating to their towns or states of origin. In a broadcast this morning, President Obasanjo ordered the Police and road safety officials to check any large scale movement observed.

In the President's words: "Census must be conducted simultaneously in all parts of the country. I therefore urge all Nigerians to stay where they are normally resident during the census, and not to travel to any other place. Census migration is a negative trend that distorts the usefulness of census data for planning purposes, as it does not allow proper planning for people in their usual place of residence. The police and road safety officials have been instructed to discourage large scale movement of people during the census."

Explaining efforts by government to ensure a successful conduct of the exercise, President Obasanjo said, "For the first time in the conduct of census in Nigeria, the 2006 Census has employed such technology as the use of Geographical Positioning System (GPS) and Satellite imageries to carve out geo-referenced Enumeration Area maps. Consequently, for the first time, it would be possible to verify the exact location of buildings and persons as enumerated during the census. Also for the first time, OMR/ICR/OCR machine readable forms are being used as census instruments to record information.

"Apart from enhancing the speed of data processing, the use of machine readable forms is also a guarantee against alteration or additions to information obtained from the field, since processing of forms would not involve manual editing and data entry. Another technology adopted for the 2006 Census is Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which is used to read fingerprints and thereby detect multiple counting.

"In addition, Geographic Information System (GIS) would be used to store the result of the 2006 Census, and would be placed on the internet to ensure that all interested persons are given unhindered access to the results. These initiatives and innovations also go to confirm the openness with which we are conducting the census.

"The objective is to insulate the functionaries from undue pressures. I wish to appeal for your maximum cooperation to these cross-posted census functionaries and even to the enumerators who are serving in their local communities. With the painstaking measures put in place to ensure success of the census, every person resident in Nigeria owes it a duty to ensure that he or she is counted during the census period. Only persons physically seen by enumerators will however be counted. It is an offence to refuse to be counted. It is also an offence to be counted more than once."

Addressing the press yesterday in Abuja, chairman of the NPC, Chief Samaila Makama also said his Commission had put all necessary machinery in motion to give Nigerians cause to smile. He said 840,000 field workers had been deployed for the purpose.

According to him, " workers on essential duties are exempted. These include medical doctors, nurses, PHCN officials, fire service, policemen and officials of water board, military and paramilitary.

"Persons will normally be enumerated in their houses where they reside and sleep, numeration will take place in educational facilities with boarding arrangement. .In these institutional buildings, all boarders/inmates are regarded as members of institutional household."

Reacting to fears that non-payment of allowances to enumerators could mar the scheme, Chief Makama appealed to the ad hoc staff recruited for the exercise to be patient as all arrangement had been made to pay them. He asked the banks to assist in facilitating the payments.

Lagos restricts movement

Gov. Bola Tinubu has reiterated that movements will be restricted in Lagos State between Tuesday and Thursday during this week's national census scheduled to end on Saturday.

"I appeal to the people of Lagos, particularly our market women, to remain in their homes between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the first three days of the head count.

"They should ensure that they are counted in their places of residence," Tinubu said at the weekend in a special broadcast to the people of the state on the census.

He noted that the potential benefits of being counted during the exercise far outweighed any losses the residents of the state might incur in those three days.

The governor warned that those fail to present themselves for the head count would be prevented from enjoying its dividends.

He assured Lagosians that the exercise had nothing to do with taxation, but would enable the government to draw up better development plans for them.

"We want to be able to know the exact population of Lagos State and its various local governments and the communities as well," he said.

Tinubu stressed that it was significant for all those living in Lagos to stay back and be counted in their neighbourhood.

Violence in Ondo

In Odigbo local government area of Ondo State where six persons were killed on Sunday in a clash between Irele and Ijaw youths, tension continued to grip the area as the police made arrests.

No fewer than eight of the rampaging youths had been arrested by the police.

The state police command spokesman, Mr Aremu Adeniran who had earlier claimed ignorance of the crisis in the area confirmed to newsmen in Akure that those arrested had been transferred to the state police headquarters for interrogations.

He pointed out that those arrested had made useful statements. Describing the incident as unfortunate, the police spokesman said policemen had been deployed to the troubled areas to maintain peace.

Mr Adeniran said sophisticated weapons were recovered from the rampaging youths during their arrest at different locations in the areas. He listed the weapons to include two AK 47 riffle, 15 rounds of life ammunitions, three AK 47 magazine, one double barrel gun, one pump action riffle,11 single barrel gun, some locally made pellets, charms and cutlasses.

The Police image maker, however, said that only five bodies of those killed during the crisis had been recovered by the police as at yesterday.

Enumerators protest in Ebonyi

In Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, tension caused by Saturday's killing of a census worker in Ohaukwu LGA as well as reports of manhandling of census officials in some parts of the state over non-payment of NPC ad hoc staff that took part in the week long training exercise is threatening to mar the exercise in the state.

Up till Sunday evening, youths of Ohaukwu were still protesting the death of their brother and son of the vice chairman, Mgbo East LGA, Thank God Onwe who was shot dead by a police inspector, prompting the deployment of two truck loads of mobile policemen to maintain peace in the area.

Two other census workers who received bullet wounds Saturday are still receiving treatment at the State University Teaching Hospital.

Meanwhile, enumerators and other census officials deployed in Ohaukwu have reported at the state headquarters of the NPC that they are no longer willing to serve in the area. Their position may not be unconnected with reports that youths in the area have warned that on no account should any census official visit the area in the name of head count.

Bid to stop exercise in Kogi fails

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday terminated a suit filed by nine local councils in Kogi state to stop the Federal Government from conducting the on-going 2006 census in the state.

Justice Anwuli Chikere struck out the entire suit upon a request by counsel to the local councils, Mr Adowa Abdul.

Abdowa who was supposed to open his case yesterday told the court that he was no longer willing to go ahead with it, saying he had already filed a notice for discontinuance of the case. He said he only came to court to formally withdraw the case.

Besides, Abdul told the court that there would be no need to continue with the suit since the complaints of his clients before the court were already receiving administrative attention by the National Population Commission (NPC).

The local councils which dragged the Federal Government to court were Ankpa, Bassa, Dekina Ibaji, Idah, Igalamela/Odoru, Ofu, Olamaboro and Omala local councils.

Both the Federation Attorney-General and the National Population Commission (NPC) were named as respondents in the case.

Customers besiege banks

Thousands of bank customers in Lagos besieged the banks in a bid to make last minute withdrawals to last them the period of movement restriction. Traffic situation in the city was so bad as residents made moves to bulk purchase food items as the restriction order precludes markets and supermarkets from opening to business.

Previous census exercises were trailed by controversies and disputes. The attempts in 1962 and 1973 were rejected by the political authorities while the 1991 figures which were ratified by the military administration had been consigned in the main to the dust bin because of successful litigations by communities and states in different parts of the country.

The first census in Nigeria was in 1866, but, because it was limited in scope, it could not serve the purpose of planning. Other attempts in 1971, 1881, 1891 and 1901 also failed the test of national head count. In 1911, the exercise which had been restricted to the Colony of Lagos was extended to other port towns.

It was not until 1921 that a nation-wide census was conducted. The process was repeated in 1931 and 1953.