Why APC Is Afraid Of Mid-Term Census

The 2015 Census figures show that 2.5m people (36%) of the population live in the North of the country. According to the final Census results in 2015, 1.6m people (23%) of the population live in the East of the country. The West and South of the country account for 2.9m people about 41% of the population. The total population of Sierra Leone, according to the 2015 final population result is 7,092,113 people.

In a press release dated 1^st December, 2021 the APC party called on their members countrywide “not to participate in the proposed Mid-Term Census” slated to commence on 10^th December, 2021.

In launching the 2021 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio said. “We are conducting this 2021 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census for three key reasons;

1. To correct the anomalies of the 2015 Population and Housing Census;
2. To provide credible and reliable data that will help us plan, implement, and monitor development interventions by the Government of Sierra Leone and our development partners in respect of the current Medium-Term National Development Plan 2019-2023 and the follow up National Plan;
3. To prepare us for the next Population and Housing Census”.

The APC in their press release dated 1^st December, 2021 said, “A cursory look at the breakdown of Enumeration Areas by district already presents a worrisome picture about their attempt to distort the demographic landscape of the country in their dastardly attempt to skew the statistics in favour of the South and Eastern regions of the country. Furthermore, the citizenry is yet to be fully sensitized about this ill-motivated Mid-Term Census. It is therefore clearly an exercise in futility”.

Many people believe that the 2015 Population and Housing Census conducted by the APC government of President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma was totally flawed as the final statistics was skewed in favour of the North. The Mid-Term Census launched by President Bio is expected to expose the lapses discovered in the 2015 Population and Housing Census.

According to President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, “Statistics Sierra Leone will therefore commence a two-week electronic enumeration of everyone in the sovereign territory of Sierra Leone from the 10^th to the 23^rd of December, 2021. During the Census exercise, Statistics Sierra Leone will collect administrative, demographic, social, and economic information on all persons”.