Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Thursday called on the Federal Government to suspend the upcoming national census slated for May.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that speaking during a meeting with a delegation from the Middle Belt Forum led by its President, Bitrus Pogu, at the Government House in Makurdi, Governor Ortom cited the plight of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the state who are unlikely to be counted due to their current living situation.
According to the governor, before the census is conducted, the federal government needs to ensure adequate security for IDPs in Benue and other parts of the country to enable them to return to their homes and be counted.
He also decried the current level of injustice, bias, and tribalism in the country, stating that both leaders and citizens must work together to address these issues.
“I want to say that the Federal Government should suspend the issue of census because it looks like the proposed census is coming with an agenda. So, until they are able to restore security and all our IDPs go back to their ancestral lands to give all of them opportunities to be counted in the homes of birth. Because I understand from the National Population Commission that those to be counted must be counted in their localities,” he said.
On his part, Pogu supported Governor Ortom’s call for the suspension of the census, citing his belief that the exercise was “coming with a hidden agenda.”
Pogu also expressed his concern over the level of violence being experienced in the Middle Belt region and reiterated the people’s determination to protect their land and heritage.
