Rt. Hon. Abdulkareem Lawan praised President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to delay the national population and housing census slated for May 2023. He attributed his commendation to the Boko Haram terrorist group’s displacement of numerous individuals from the Borno North senatorial district, who would have been left uncounted if the census had proceeded as planned.
Lawan further noted that most people from the ten local government areas in Northern Borno, including Guzamala, Abadam, Kukawa, Marte, and Mobbar, remain displaced, while others have sought refuge in neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon Republics for over ten years.
The Speaker expressed concerns that the 2023 census could have violated the human rights of displaced persons and Boko Haram victims and deprived millions of other Nigerians who were displaced from their homes and living in IDP camps and other parts of the country
Lawan noted that: “Honestly, I commend President Buhari for postponing the national population and housing census scheduled for May 2023. This is because, the majority of our 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 Republics for over a decade.
“Therefore, conducting such an exercise is not only ill-timed or injustice, but would amount to infringement of our human rights as many displaced persons and victims of the 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.
“I 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-towns for many years.
“This is necessary to enable all the displaced persons to return to their ancestral homes and pick up the pieces of their lives.” Lawan enumerated.
