By Suleiman Umaru
Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, a retired Army Colonel and former military governor of Kaduna, a state under siege of the Bandits Group, operating in the north west geopolitical region, during the Administration of former military President Ibrahim Babangida, a retired Army General, appears to have told President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General, that plans to hold Census in the country in April 2023, would not work.
Colonel Umar, rtd, who is known for his radical views, may have read the handwriting on the wall that it is a ploy by the government to throw the country into further chaos, and provide an alibi for the Katsina state born Nigerian President to extend his tenure. Perhaps, this may have informed why he has told the Nigerian President in his remarks that if he is sincere in handing over power to the Next elected President after the 2023, general elections, he must ‘’suspend the planned national population census’’ which he had described on Saturday, April 16, 2022, as ‘’shocking’’.
He will want the retired Army General ‘’to concentrate on finding lasting solution to the disturbing activities of the bandits, in the north west states of Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, the President’s home state and sokoto including the north central states of Niger, Benue, Plateau inand.
He said the retired Army General, should be concerned also with worrisome in situation the north east states of Borno and Yobe, where the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and the 2015, broke away faction, Islamic Staate Of West African Province, ISWAP, are terrorising the people and other criminal elements disturbing the peace of the country’’.
An aggrieve Umar who could not hide his feelings had told those that cares to listen that ‘’Nigeria is facing existential challenges epitomised by insecurity and a collapsing economy’’, stressing that embarking on a Census in April 2023, would amount to a misadventure and waste of the country’s scarce resource’’. He insists that the Buhari Administration should focus its attention on ‘’securing the nation and conducting the 2023, general eectios’’, instead of ‘’planning a national population census at this point’’. He had said that ‘’it should not be a priority assuming it is possible’’.
There are indications that the Nigerian President had tabled to conduct the population census between March and April 2023, the year of general elections in the country, at the last Council of State meeting held at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, April 14, 2022. The meeting was said to have been attended by two former Heads of State and Governments: Abdulsalami Abubakar, a retired Army General and former President Goodluck Jonathan.
It is instructive to note that neither Gen.Abubakar, rtd, nor Jonthan and the other Council members could look at Buhari straight in face to tell him that the planned census was not possible at this point in time that the country is facing serious security challenges. They were said to have given him the go ahead to conduct the 2023, population census that had been slated to hold between March and April 22023.
As a prelude to conducting the population census in April, 2023, Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Meia and Publicity to the Nigerian President had issued a Statement after the Council of statemeeting on Thursday, April, 14, 2022, that Isa-Kwarra, Director General, Nigerian Population Commission, NPC, has been given the nod to prepare for the April 2023, Census, based on the approval of the Council of State.
The Buhari Media Aide had said that the NPC, would hold a pilot census in June, 2022, after the political party primaries, to select their Presidential Candidates, and other Candidates, for other elective offices, across the country, noting that the Commission will ‘’deploy high-grade technology during the exercise’’, to ensure that it succeeds.
The Presidential Aide, may have spoken the mind of Buhari, when he disclosed that ‘’the current population data in use in the country are obsolete projections’’, stating that ‘’the planned population Census would provide more accurate data for national planning’’.
Admitted that census data is very crucial planning, the questions on the lips of most people, was why censusshould be a priority to the Buhari government, that it must hold a month before the handover date in May 2023, instead of allowing the next government to handle the exercise.
Security experts fear that this is not a ploy to throw the country into perpetual crisis that would force the National Assembly to give the Nigerian Presidentpowers to declare, a state of emergency and to deal decisively with anyone opposed to his policies during the period. There are fears I unofficial circles that this may warrant extending his tenure in office. Let us hope that his will not happen.
