Census: FG releases extra N2bn for enumerators
•Oyo receives forms
From ISAAC ANUMIHE and MOLLY KILETE (Abuja); AKEEB ALARAPE, Ibadan
Sunday, March 26, 2006

Not less than N2 billion has been released by the Federal Government for the payment of enumerators in the on-going national head count. Breifing the media on the exercise in Abuja, the chairman of National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Samu’ila Danko Makama explained that all the allowances due to the enumerators would soon be paid.

According to him, the Federal Government has already gazetted the extension of the census period and each of the enumerators and supervisors would receive additional remuneration of N2,570 and N3,428 respectively for the additional two days of work.

To this effect, he said, each enumerator would get N1,285 per day and supervisors would get N1,714 per day.

He also revealed that the enumerators and supervisors were paid N5, 200 at the end of the training and on the field, while enumerators got N9,000 supervisors got N12,000 for the initial five days of field work. So, following the extension by two days, enumerators were entitled to N11,570 at the end of the seven days while the supervisors would collect N15,428. "All the allowances due field workers will be paid through the banks after due clearance by the NPC officials’’, he said.

For areas that reported shortage of enumeration materials, especially NPC 01, he explained that the forms allocated to states had been dispatched after due verification. Makama denied allegations of manipulation in the exercise saying that the whole process has been transparent.

On the enumerators who died in the course of the exercise, the chairman said that the commission was gathering information on the total number of them so as to compensate them adequately.

Meanwhile, following complaints about the shortage of materials in the on-going census exercise in Oyo state, the National Secretariat of the National Population Commission, NPC, has forwarded the needed materials to the state.

Disclosing thin in a chat with Sunday Sun, the State Director of the commission in Oyo state, Chief Moses Fadipe assured that no resident of the state would be left out with the recent extension of the exercise.

"The Forms 01 and 07 everbody is shouting for have been sent to us from Abuja. A vehicle is already on its way to Akure to collect the forms due Oyo State from the vehicle that is bringing it from Abuja. By Monday, we assure all people in Oyo state that shall all be counted. They should just stay indoors and wait for the enumerators", Fadipe said.

Fadipe also debunked as untrue, the allegation made by some people at Akinyele area of the state that they were trained as enumerators but not paid because some other people had taken their spots. According to him, those that were compaining at Akinyele were people who wanted to be enumerators at all cost whereas their names were not on the official list of enumerators.

"They were allowed to attend the training but unfortunately for them no enumerator pulled out. So, there is no vacancy for the coordinator to accomodate them", the State Director explained.