By Hosea Parah, Abuja

The National Population Commission (NPC) has enjoined the general public to disregard the rumour circulation of question on religious affiliation contained in the audio tape 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.

This was contained in a statement signed by Director, Public Affairs, Isiaka Yahaya on Wednesday in Abuja. Which the commission stated that it’s attention was drawn to an audio tape going viral on WhatsApp social media platform across the country stated that the religious affiliation of respondents will be canvassed in the 2023 population and Housing Census.

According to the statement the audio tape calls on the Muslim in Nigeria to see the purported canvassing of information on their religious affiliation as a tool to suppress their population figures. Therefore, instructed adherents of the Islamic faith to resist any attempt to divide the religion of Islam by refusing to answer any question on their religious affiliation.

The NPC said that the 2023 population and Housing Census will not canvass questions on religion and religious affiliations of respondents.

“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 needles controversies and attention”.

The commission said, a fact check on the origin of the purported message shows that it was first circulated in Ghana during it’s 2021 population Census exercise through a WhatsApp message.

This, according to the commission the negative message found it’s way into 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 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.

“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 to the generate data that will fecilitate sustainable development”.

The statement further said,,the questionnaire is robust and include demographic characteristics of respondents and other socio-economic characteristics but without any question whatsoever on religion and ethnicity.