The Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Calabar, has requested that the national population and housing census, scheduled for May of this year, be postponed owing to insecurity.
The Punch reported that the Diocese published a statement after its 47th Annual Synod at Wesley Cathedral in Calabar, Cross River State, in which it made the call.
“Contending for the faith, in consideration of the pervasive moral decadence and heresy in our society” was the theme of the 2023 Synod this year.
The statement was signed by the Methodist Arch Bishop of Calabar, Most Rev. Chimezuo Nwankpa, along with the Lay President, Dame Prof. Mirinda Dosunmu, KJW, and Elder Offiong Unoh, Chairman of the Communique Committee.
According to the Synod, it would be impossible for the enumerators to reach trouble spots because of the high level of insecurity in the nation, where some areas are occupied by “Boko Haramists,” bandits, and other undesirable elements who wreak havoc and impose a reign of terror on the defenseless residents.
“Synod calls for delaying the national population census, scheduled to begin on May 3, 2023, until security has improved.”
The Synod also bemoaned the high unemployment rate in the nation and urged young people and the unemployed to develop their talents in order to earn a respectable living and escape destitution and frustration.
The Synod also lamented the challenging economic climate in the nation, adding that the vast majority of people live in poverty, and urged the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to jump-start the economy.
The Synod expressed sympathy for those who had lost loved ones in ongoing hostilities around the globe, prayed for God to stop the fighting, and urged the federal government to evacuate its residents from the conflict zones.
The Synod also urged all resentful politicians who ran in the recently held general elections to seek recourse in court rather than using illegal measures.