The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to suspend the planned 2021 census until the insecurity situation in the country is addressed.

The House presided over by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila advised the Federal Government to suspend the exercise till such a time the country was safe enough for it. This was disclosed in a series of tweets on the official handle of the House of Representatives. The resolution of the House was passed following a motion moved by a member representing Bosso/Paikoro Federal Constituency of Niger State, Shehu Beji.

The lawmaker while leading the debate on the motion told the House that several factors would work against the accuracy of the figures that would be obtained and the overall success of the exercise due largely to insecurity. “Beji said, the safety of enumerators would not be guaranteed in many parts of the country.

“He also stated that many households would be unwilling to make family members available for enumeration because of the fear of the unknown.