By: Ilyasa Baa
The release of the Provincial Result of the Census has sparked series of debates from institutions and members of the public including the Chairman of the All Political Parties Association (APPA), Prince Coker who doubles as the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He said they had been in support of the process from the start going across the country to sensitize the public about the Mid-Term Population and Housing Census.
“The process was legal and consultative”, he affirmed, adding that there was need for accurate data with specifics on the locations. He said the data is not meant for political gains but could be used by development partners to figure out on how to develop communities. He said the 2015 census was not accurate to stand the test of time that was why they rallied behind the conduct of the mid-term census in support of the President’s agenda for equitable development.
He said APPA is not meant to bash everything coming from the government adding that the association will continue to support what they deem positive for the country.
According to Prince Coker, they are satisfied with the figures so far noting that the Western Rural District is believed to have more population as highlighted in the provincial report. He said those that did not show up to be counted should have themselves to blame because of their negligence. He recalled that they had explained the importance of the census well to the membership of the association and the party pointing out that they listened and allowed Statistics Sierra Leone to count them despite the misinformation that was trumpeted by the main opposition party.
Since the release of the census result, discussions surrounding its legality have awash the media landscape being the order of the day. Some see it as a political gain to the ruling party but the Minister of Information and Communications, Mohammed Rahman Swarray has assured Sierra Leoneans that the census result is genuine and it will be used to bring development to the entire nation.
