December 16, 2021
By: Aruna Kamara (BO)
The Bo District Coordinator of the Mid Term Census, Ibrahim S. Kabba has raised concern over the refusal of few people in some part of Bo to be counted.
Speaking to A-Z Newspaper in Bo, Mr. Kabbah said that some people residing at Bo No. 2 extension, Y-Junction, Simbo Town, New -Site and Old Police Barracks have not been allowed for their data to be taken in the ongoing Mid Term Census. He assured that he will continue to talk and persuade them to be counted.
“I think why they have not allowed to be counted is because of what they have been hearing that others should not be counted. These people are part of Bo but if they are depriving the enumerators not to get the needed data from them how are they going to expect Bo to develop when it is the information given to us that will be used for the development of Bo City,” he said.
He said that this information cannot be only used by government but other Non-Governmental organization for the development of their communities in Bo District, adding that it is good that is good for the people in those communities to give Statistics Sierra Leone the data needed for the development of the country.
Mr. Kabba said that it will not be possible to get one hundred percent of people taking part in the census but in Bo it is just some pockets of resistance from few people.
“It is that challenge that I do not really want in Bo district that is why I am still encouraging them to allow the counting to go on, on their own side. If Bo does not develop as a result of lack of credible data people in Bo will suffer and I do not want this to happen in Bo,” he said.
He pointed out that there are eight hundred enumerators and two hundred and forty supervisors and we told the enumerators during the training that they will encounter some pocket of resistance and that should not discourage them from doing their work. We told them they should be polite to the people they are going to collect the data from.
Mr. Kabbah refuted the allegation that the mid-term census is done in order for statistics to add constituencies or wards but allayed the fears of the people that creating constituencies is not the work of Statistics Sierra Leone but the National Electoral Commission.