By: Ilyasa Baa

The Minister of Planning and Development, Dr. Francis Kai Kai has blasted the National Election Watch (NEW) saying that their position on the provisional result of the Mid- Term Population and Housing Census is not neutral.

Dr. Kai Kai informed this medium that NEW is not technically inclined to understand the processes leading to the figures published by Statistics Sierra Leone. He said NEW did not consult with the experts for them to be in a better position to understand the census results clearly.

“They are not experts rather have they done any survey, we are talking about a highly technical process”, Dr. Kai Kai underscored, adding that academic institutions should throw more light to make the gullible section of the population understand the census dynamics and explain it well to the public.

Minister Kai-Kai said NEW has engaged in a misinformation drive calling on people not to accept the outcome of the census. He said he had challenged them to sit with Statistics Sierra Leone but failed to consult with the experts in statistics issues in the country for them to be guided accordingly.  He noted that the results will help all and sundry since the development of the country requires correct data. He called on Sierra Leoneans not to listen to those trying to politicize the outcome but to be rest assured that the data will be used for its intended purposes.

It could be recalled that NEW had issued a press release condemning the census on the grounds of legality noting that there is no provision in the 1991 Constitution that makes provision for Mid-Term Census.  They said there was nothing like Mid-Term Census in the manifesto of the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP).

According to the Project Officer, NEW, Charles Kef – Kobai, NEW consulted with Statistics Sierra Leone and raised issues concerning the illegality of the process but their demands/recommendations we not upheld or taken seriously by the Statisticians, he maintained.

Residents of the Western Rural District have opined that the high spate of relocation by people from the Urban to the rural district is said to have been responsible for the population growth in the Western Rural District against the urban area which used to be more populated. However, most people doing business in town have relocated to the rural area because of cheap housing and sufficient space.

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