The National Population Commission has denied insinuations that the 2023 Population and Housing Census would canvass questions on religion and religious affiliations of respondents.
The clarification was made following a viral audio message circulating on WhatsApp insinuating that religious affiliations of respondents will be canvassed in the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
In the viral message, it was also claimed that the questions were included to suppress the devotees of a particular religion in the country.
However, in a statement by the Director of Public Affairs, Isiaka Yahaya, stressed that the commission had excluded such items on its questionnaire to save the census data from needless controversies and attention.
It partly read, ”For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission wishes to state unequivocally that the 2023 Population and Housing Census will not canvass questions on religion and religious affiliations of respondents.
“The commission explained that the decision to exclude religion along with ethnicity from the census questionnaire was taken in due consideration of the sensitive nature of these issues within the Nigerian polity and the need to save the census data from needless controversies and attention.”
He added that the message was fake and originated from Ghana.
“A factcheck on the origin of the purported message shows that it was first circulated in Ghana during its 2021 population census exercise through a WhatsApp message.
“This negative message found its way into the Nigerian social media space in July 2022 when the Commission conducted the Trial Census.
“The re-circulation of the message in audio form as the Commission sets to conduct the 2023 Population and Housing Census in May 2023 is an indication that some elements are bent on drawing the 2023 Census into unnecessary controversies through propagation of falsehood and incitement of a section of the population to destabilize existing peaceful coexistence in the country,” Yahaya added.
He added that the questionnaire is robust and includes demographic characteristics of the respondent.
Yahaya said that the commission carried out extensive consultation with data users and stakeholders in coming up with the questions to be canvassed in the next census. The overarching goal of the questionnaire is to generate data that will facilitate sustainable development.
“The questionnaire is robust and includes demographic characteristics of respondents and other socio-economic characteristics but without any question whatsoever on religion and ethnicity.
“Members of the general public are therefore enjoined to disregard the rumour of question on religious affiliation contained in the audio tape in circulation and extend maximum cooperation to the enumerators for the sake of delivering a credible, reliable and acceptable 2023 Population and Housing Census data for national development planning.”
