The Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkareem Lawan, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for postponing the National Population and Housing Census scheduled for May 2023.
Hon Lawan, who made the commendation while reacting to the postponement in an interview with Journalists in Maiduguri on Saturday said the postponement was in order because people of Northern Borno were displaced as a result of Boko Haram insurgency.
“Honestly, i commend President Muhammadu 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 Republic for over a decade”, Lawan stressed.
The speaker said the majority of people 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 Republic for over a decade.
The lawnaker further said, “Conducting such an exercise, is not only il-timed or injustice, but would amount to infringement of our human rights as many displaced persons and victims of 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.”
He lamented that conducting the 2023 census would amount to infringement of human rights of many displaced persons and victims of 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.
“I therefore, 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-town for many years.
“This decision is necessary because it would enable all the displaced persons return back to their ancestral homes and pick up their pieces,” the Speaker stated.
