TheCable

The federal government has inaugurated a security committee for the conduct of the 2023 census.

Babagana Monguno, national security adviser, spoke on Tuesday at the inauguration of the 2023 population and housing census security and logistic committee, which held at the office of the national security adviser (ONSA) in Abuja.

Monguno said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has the desire to provide the nation with accurate and reliable demographic data for policy formulation and planning for sustainable development.

He added that the exercise is also in line with Buhari’s desire to bequeath an enduring legacy of evidence-based planning for sustainable development.

Monguno said due to the crucial and pivotal role credible and reliable census data plays in planning for sustainable development, the security committee is necessary as a first step towards ensuring the peaceful and smooth conduct of the census.

“The task before the national security and logistic committee is huge. Nigeria is not only diverse in size, but also languages, residence, age and socio-economic orientation,” he said.

“Given the scope of the 2023 population and housing census which will cover the entire country, and involving the counting of every person resident in Nigeria and taking place simultaneously in every household in the country, safeguarding the personnel and materials as well as the smooth channelling of same, is imperative to the overall success of the census exercise.

“With these at the back of our minds and the desire to succeed in this venture, this committee must be conscious of several risk factors that may militate against the successful conduct of the 2023 census.

“The planning and conduct of a gigantic programme such as the census will no doubt come with its challenges in terms of security and logistics arrangement.”

Monguno listed potential areas of threats to the exercise to include physical attacks on NPC staff and facilities, attacks on security personnel on census duty, inter/intra-communal violence disrupting preparatory and main census work.

Others are attacks targeting NPC databases and ICT architecture, intimidation of members of the public to dissuade them from participating in the process, snatching and destruction of census materials.

“Most prominent is the issue of insecurity arising from banditry, kidnapping, armed conflicts, terrorism, insurgency and other violent crimes which poses a major challenge to the census exercise,” he said.

“However, the government has put in serious efforts to make the country safe for everyone.

“It is expected that with coordinated synergy by this committee, the safe movement of personnel and materials before, during and after the census will be guaranteed because we have the confidence that with the calibre of members of this committee, this national assignment will be carried out successfully.”

Mungonu said the committee’s duties include support, intervening in the security and logistic arrangements to safeguard personnel and materials as well mobilising logistic resources, and devising appropriate strategies for storage, distribution and retrieval of equipment and materials where the need arises.

The national census is slated for March 29 to April 2.