Monrovia — The outcome of the ensuing National Population and Housing Census in Liberia risks being inadequate as a result of the growing wave of disenchantments and misunderstanding which continue to characterize the entire process.
The conduct of the census, which was lastly scheduled for October 24, has suffered series of setbacks ranging from allegations of corruption involving authorities at the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), irregularities, including poor timing, ineffectiveness, and inefficiency in the training of enumerators, among others.
The just-ended training for enumerators was marred by controversies, protests, and disenchantments across the country.
The failure of LISGIS to provide feeding, timely transportation reimbursement, and lodging for those who attended the training triggered civil disobedience and protests in the various counties, stalling regular movement of people, goods and services.
LISGIS authorities also failed to disclose the exact amount expected to be received by each of those recruited to serve as enumerators after the training.
The setting of roadblocks by the aggrieved enumerators also impeded normal academic, working and commercial activities in various counties for several hours.
Those who attended the training claimed that for several days, they were denied stipend, food and water by authorities of LISGIS.
Last week, hundreds of aggrieved citizens, who claimed that they were recruited to serve as enumerators in Grand Cape Mount, staged a major protest, setting roadblocks in demand of their stipend (transportation & feeding) promised to them by LISGIS prior to the start of the training.
The aggrieved enumerators lamented that for the ten days of the training, LISGIS made them to transport and feed themselves contrary to what they were told by the local county structure in Grand Cape Mount through the county's director Mr. Usuma B. Kanneh.
"Our disenchantment is with the director of LISGIS, Hon. Wilmot Smith. He told the House of Representatives yesterday, October 20, 2022 that they (LISGIS) gave us money for lodging and feeding which are all lies. All the little money we had on us during the training, has all finished. We had to beg our friends before we could eat.
"We were in the training for 10 days and not a bottle of water or a cent was provided to us. Last night at midnight, all the materials that were being used for the training were packed and driven to Monrovia leaving us here undone. Matthew J. Johns, one of the enumerators angrily told FrontPagePage.
A total of 532 participants from the four LISGIS training centers which include - the Multi-Purpose Building, Sinje Youth Center, Robert Sports, and Golakonneh Center Hall say they are dissatisfied with the manner in which were treated by LISGIS. The aggrieved enumerators have threatened to state another action in the county if LISGIS failed to provide them a stipend.
Mediation by the officers of the Liberia National Police, the LISGIS Grand Cape Mount County Director, Mr. Usuma Kanneh, and the Liberia Immigration Services to convince the aggrieved LISGIS trainees to remove the roadblock lasted for several hours and yielded fruitful results.
Shouldering responsibilities
Mustapha Tucker is a youth leader in Sinje, Grand Cape Mount. He was constrained to share meal and foot extra bills for some of the recruited young citizens, who were stranded during the training.
"The protesters were not felt with the real information as it relates to the training and they were not even fed food for almost two weeks. They were not told about how much they were going to receive after the training and so they staged a protest. We used to take money from our pockets to purchase food, water and do other things for some of them (who came for the training)."
Almost all of those who went for the training in the leeward areas were compelled to lodge at the homes of relatives, friends and others due to the lack of allotment to secure sleeping places for them at guest houses.
Tucker termed the entire process as a "complete embarrassment" to not only those who were recruited, but the nation in particular.
"The government is trying to also embarrass the local governance structure here in the county."
Garwular District Commissioner Clarence Kamara also provided bags of rice and cash to the aggrieved citizens in a bid to discourage them to abandon the protest in the county over the week end.
The poor preparation or planning triggered the growing wave of controversies and disenchantment over the entire process.
Crediting monies to attend training
In the wake of economic constraints, vast majority of those recruited to serve as enumerators were constrained to credit monies from others to attend the training at their various centers in Monrovia and other parts of the country.
As a result of this, many of them are feeling reluctant and uncomfortable to return.
"I took money from my money changer friend with the expectation that we were going to receive our training money today. But up to the present, they are not saying anything. We were initially told that we will receive US$20 per day, but today, we are hearing about US$10. What kind of country we find ourselves in so," another aggrieved trainee, who preferred not to be named stated.
Abandoning the classrooms
Classroom teachers have reportedly abandoned the classrooms with the hope of acquiring substantial finances to address challenges or provide basic needs for them and their respective family members.
Supervisor and Enumerator for the census were promised to be paid the amounts of US$300 and US$250 respectively for the conduct of the two-week census.
The payments are different from the amount expected to be received by those attending the training.
However, some of the teachers are already regretting their decision taken to temporarily drop the chalk to serve as enumerators for the census.
"I should have been in class teaching, but I decided to come here to get the experience and serve my country in a different area. How will you hold a workshop for people, who left their busy schedule for ten days without even offering them water to drink? This is complete wickedness. I'm regretting why I have to leave Monrovia to come all the way here (Cape Mount) for this training," an aggrieved teacher stated.
Customarily, Liberians attending workshops hold high expectations of receiving finances as transportation reimbursement from the organizers. This has been the normal routine in the post-conflict nation since the end of the civil war in 2003.
But some international organizations have been exerting efforts to discourage the payment of "sitting fees" for the impartation of knowledge or education into those attending workshops or seminars in the country.
"We were told yesterday that we were going to get our sitting fee today. But unfortunately, we saw our trainers parking their mattresses and training materials to leave the county. The information spread and we said we couldn't allow them to go because, we have not been getting information from them," another teacher stated.
He claimed that though they passed the aptitude test, their names were not placed on the website of LISGIS, something which prompted the agency to mandate all supervisors to "go ahead with the listings they had in the possession."
"They abandoned us and so, we have taken the debate on the road."
Inflated Listing
Authorities of LISGIS, who have been consistently accused of substituting the names of those who qualified and attended the training in the various counties for others, now face a serious task of reconciling the listings for payment.
Names were reportedly submitted by higher-ups and others from the governing party, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) to be considered to form part of the exercise.
The lack of foreign-direct investments under the administration of President George Manneh Weah compels the score of government officials as well as hierarchies within the ruling party to implore strategies or means to provide job opportunities for their immediate family members, friends, loved ones, and supporters.
As a result of this, the numbers at some of the training centers for the census were far above the exact numbers which were requested by LISGIS.
Sources have hinted that the move is intended to clandestinely drop the names of some of those who were shortlisted but do not have the "connection" to serve as enumerators.
It remains unclear on what basis or who prompted the influx of trainees at various centers across the country. But however, LISGIS is reportedly planning to ensure that all those who attended are compensated to avoid hindrances to the smooth conduct of the census.
LISGIS was established by an Act enacted by the National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA) and approved by the Chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) on July 22, 2004. The Act is known as "The Liberian Code of Laws Revised, As Amended, By Adding Thereto A New Chapter 50A., and as indicated in Section 50A.1 its short title is known and cited as the "National Statistics and Geo-Information Act".
The Institute was created in July 2005 by spinning off of the Statistical Department of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs. The staff and other resources of the Department including the Deputy Minister have duly been transferred to the LISGIS.
It is clothed with the statutory responsibility to serve as the prime, authoritative agency of Government responsible for collecting, managing, coordinating, supervising, evaluating, analyzing, disseminating and setting quality standards for statistical and associated geo-information for overall national socio-economic reconstruction and development.
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It also formulates and implement national strategies, programs and policies for the development and management of a National Statistical and Geo-Information System and an integrated gender and environment-sensitive National Statistical and Spatial Database in Liberia.
The locals, particularly those who have been trained to serve as enumerators, are planning to stall or compromise the sincerity and credibility of the ensuing census if they are not treated properly by the government.
They threatened that the worth for both taxpayers' and donors' funds will not be achieved or realized if the government fails to ensure that their time and energy are not "wasted" on the process.
"I cannot assure that if I am even selected, I will do a better job when my money or sitting fee for both the training and the entire census are not correct or if it is tampered with. And to be frank with you, I am not even the only person saying this. Many people will not even waste their time to/ go in the bushes or other places to be counting people and someone is sitting down in Monrovia, riding air-conditioned car or sitting in a cool office eating our money. That one will not work with me," an aggrieved female trainee stated.
She continued: "If we are not treated fairly-the way election is coming so, we will know what to do because, they have power today to do anything to us. But power will be in our hands in 2023."
Both leaderships of the 54th National Legislature have agreed to postpone the fifth and first digital National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) from October 24 to November 22
The decision was reached by the leadership of the National Legislature last week, following a meeting held with authorities of LISGIS and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which is supporting the conduct of the census.
However, a resolution is expected to be passed to effectuate the agreement. Since 2008, Liberia has not conducted census. The conduct of census is scheduled after every ten years, according to the 1986 Liberian constitution.
The census is expected to provide additional constituencies, ahead of the 2023 general and presidential elections in Liberia.
Authorities of LISGIS are expected to address a news conference in Monrovia today to respond to issues raised by the aggrieved trainees and possibly announce the postponement of the census.
