Former Kaduna Gov, Abubakar Umar, urges Buhari to suspend population census, deal with insecurity first

A former military Governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Umar, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the planned population census by the Federal Government and first deal decisively with the security crisis in the country.

Colonel Umar in a statement in Kaduna on Saturday, said the planned national census is shocking to well-menacing Nigerians; he enjoined President Buhari to cancel the census and place security as priority. He asserted that the country is sinking because of insecurity and a collapsing economy; arguing that embarking on a census would amount to a misadventure and waste of scarce resources.

Colonel Umar declared: “Nigeria is facing existential challenges epitomised by insecurity and a collapsing economy; embarking on a census would amount to a misadventure and waste of scarce resources.

“The decision of the FGN to have sought and gotten the approval of the National Council of State to conduct a national census in April 2023 must have come as a great shock to most well-meaning Nigerians.

“A country that is facing existential challenges such as unprecedented level of insecurity, the collapsing economy, cannot have as one of its priorities the conduct of a national census.

“We, therefore, urge the Buhari administration to suspend what will amount to misadventure and waste of scarce national resources. This administration should focus all its attention on securing the nation and conducting the 2023 elections. A national census at this point is certainly not a priority assuming that its conduct is possible.”

National Council of State at its meeting in Abuja approved the conduct of a national census between March and April 2023, 16 after.