Conduct Census After Ramadan, MURIC Urges FG

The Muslim Rights Concern has urged the Federal Government to move the planned census to after the Ramadan fasting period.

The MURIC Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, made the plea on Wednesday in a statement, reports Daily Trust.

The chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa Kwarra, had announced March 29 to April 2nd as the dates for the 2023 census. These dates fall within the Islamic fasting month.

The statement read in part, “Our attention has been drawn to the date fixed for the 2023 census by the National Census Commission. 29th March to 2nd April 2023 may not be good dates for the exercise because those dates fall within the first and second weeks of Ramadan.

Although nothing in our religion says working during the month of Ramadan is prohibited and millions of Muslims do their daily work during the month of Ramadan, the rigorous spiritual exercise in Ramadan cannot be easily combined with the hazards of the census for both the citizens who are to be counted and the enumerators too.”

He added, “Census work is rigorous, hectic, tedious and tortuous. The logistics of both exercises contradict each other. It must also be noted that census work necessitates courtesy and cordiality between households and enumerators. Hunger, fatigue and dehydration may not allow those who are fasting to manifest patience and observe necessary decorum when attending to enumerators.

This may affect the success of the exercise. It is, therefore, better after Ramadan.”

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