The National Population Commission (NPC) has assured that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) will not threaten the 2023 national population and housing census, which is scheduled for May 3–5, 2023. Federal Commissioner for the NPC in Enugu State, Mr. Ejike Eze, made the statement on Sunday in Enugu during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
Eze explained that IPOB now understands the importance of allowing residents to participate in the census, noting that any opposition would undermine its own objectives. He recounted that the NPC encountered IPOB in two local government areas of Enugu State while demarcating zones for the headcount, but government intervention resolved those issues. “IPOB has independently undertaken advocacy to encourage people to take part in the census,” Eze said. “We have engaged IPOB and convinced it that its agitation requires the information the census will provide.”
The commissioner rejected calls to postpone the census, emphasizing that a census differs from an election, which involves competitors, winners, and losers. He also dismissed criticism that the N869 billion budget for the exercise is excessive, arguing that it is modest compared with other countries. “The United States spends between $12 and $15 (N5,760–N7,200) per citizen, while Malawi spends $9 (N4,320) per citizen. In Nigeria, we are proposing to spend $6 (N2,880) per citizen.”
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