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Census 2006: Why Ethnicity and Religion Must Not Be Issues By Barr. Etete Nyiang
With the much awaited National Headcount underway, it is still proper and imperative to put to a final rest the centrifugal considerations that are most likely to turn the outcome of the exercise into chaos, and ensure that such parochial consciousness give way to centripetal forces that could maintain and strengthen the unity, cohesion and stability of the country.
The issue of Headcount, which Nigeria needs badly at this level of development, was being viewed or perceived with muted feelings, which obviously, are beclouded in political colourations and inspirations.
In Nigeria, from post colonial times to date, the polity had always been enmeshed with ethnic (tribal) and religious factors that have unsuccessfully tried to divide the country with calls for succession, confederation and even outright break-up. To such proponents this is the only way to live peacefully. But curiously, that very suggestion is the very cause of our instability and disunity in the country. Why must we be too conscious of issues such as ethnicity and religion, both of which tend to divide more than unite us? One of the characteristics of civilization is the beauty that is inherent in living together by people of different backgrounds.
When government decided that the country needs to know its actual population figure to put paid to speculations by both local and foreign insinuations, it was a good development to once again, address the reoccurring problem of statistical uncertainties. Nigeria has for the past many years relied on projections by either the World Bank or other development partners or guesses by its citizens to have an idea of how many we are, a situation that is not helpful to the goals of planning and development.
Now, Nigerians must appreciate the political will and commitment that led to the commencement of the Census. This time around, it is not only the people who would be counted, but also their houses, which will enable government to measure peoples’ quality and standard of living and identify basic indicators that would be used to improve on these conditions.
This is why Nigerians must live above ethnic or religious sentiments. Already, the fact that movements were not restricted had given rife to speculations that the exercise is a failure. The argument is based on the possibilities of multiple counting, which, the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Mr. Suleiman Makama, had repeatedly assured Nigerians, will not happen. The use of fingerprint identification technology prevents that because no two people bear the same finger prints. The census should not be seen as a competition towards ethnic or religious supremacy or contest. The fundamental idea is not to know how many Christians, Muslims or pagans exist in our midst.
If at all we see ourselves as creatures of the same God, cohabiting together from time immemorial, then we must be concerned about how our total population is and not how we are as ethnic or religious groups. After all, we are not wiser and cannot be, more than God who has made us to live together as one. We must not create or strengthen artificial differences by insisting on knowing our ethnic and religious populations at the expense of our oneness and unity. Knowing just our ethnic or religious sizes without the total national numerical position does not add value to social-economic development because those involved in the planning and policy implementation will stagnate the process if they are made to see themselves as representatives of either their religious or their ethnic groups.
The government has argued that even though it is economically desirable to include religion and ethnicity in the 2006 Census questionnaire, it is not politically efficient because of its capacity to divide people along those very lines of differences. Government’s position is aptly informed by the current level of political culture, maturity and development. In Nigeria today, people are more loyal to their ethnic and religious groupings than to the nation, which has caused a lot of problems. It is in an attempt to break this negative consciousness that government deliberately removed the two valuables from the questionnaire to help the country. The question, is what advantage or disadvantage can the government derive by either including or excluding the two valuables? None. Government will still be government, with its full authority either ways. It is to reduce and mitigate the effect of extreme polarizations which these factors have caused that government saw the wisdom in doing without it.
Including religion and ethnicity in the headcount and at this fragile level of politicking will cause more harm than good for the nation. It will encourage many forms of sharp practices in which these two factors will lead to inflation and desperate manipulation of figures to falsely project the numerical strength of a group. It will encourage unhealthy rivalry and competition in which each ethnic or religious group will seek to outdo one another by aiding and abetting rigging in the exercise.
This is not to say government is unmindful or insensitive to public opinion, especially that the tide of the opinion is self centred and is fulfilling towards an unfavourable development. Government has nothing to hide by this decision. In as much as the opinion of the people is important, it is not timely, in view of the current level of political socialization and Psychology in the country.
Government has taken the pain to keep enslaving itself to some groups, especially the religious bodies and some ethnic groups, on the need for understanding and to de-emphasise the two issues in question.
This is beginning to yield fruits as few days ago, the National leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) agreed to participate in the coming exercise after months of initial insistence that ethnicity and religion be included. It’s President and the Most Rev. Peter Akinola directed all Christians to come out and be counted, saying the non-inclusion of the two valuable does not take anything away from them or the nation and that it was being done sincerely in the best interest of the nation. What an encouraging development from an independent minded, highly revered man of God who has been sincerely very critical of government policies.
True, Nigerians have nothing to fear. We should not encourage regionalism which has caused more problems for the nation by our actions. We must emphasize more of issues that unite us than those that tend to divide us. Yes, it is good to be critical of government policies and actions, but we should not exaggerate our opposition to actions such as the coming National census, to ensure that an accurate, dependable, precise and acceptable headcount is conducted come March 21, and for the world largest black nation to know its actual population.
Barr. Etete Nyiang
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