By Amin Kef Sesay
The Statistician-General, Professor Osman Sankoh alias Mallam O has stated that his attention has been drawn to a Press Release that issued relating to the Mid-Term Census issued by the National Election Watch (NEW) which, he said, is headed by the outspoken and admirable Marcella Samba-Sesay.
He furthered that he decided to react and not ask his Communications Director to do so.
Mallam O underscored that Marcella would confirm that he did invite them to a meeting at Stats SL when he first heard one of NEW’s officials talking about the Mid-Term Census on 98.1 with little knowledge relating to the purpose and strategy.
He revealed how the invitation was for them to meet so that his team could provide details of the census and seek NEW’s collaboration.
The Statistician General stated that they were thrilled when a large high-powered NEW delegation came to Stats SL.
He said no one will misjudge the positive outcome of their meeting, an assurance of NEW’s participation in the census and a decision to have an MOU between them.
“NEW informed us of their enhanced capabilities in the districts and that their human network could be made available to Stats SL for effective education on the census and monitoring of the process,” he continued.
He added that the Census Secretariat at Stats SL therefore felt that NEW would play a key role in the sensitization and educational activities, hence NEW was invited to serve on that Committee which will met for the first time on the 28th October, 2020 at Stats SL.
Mallam O said an invitation letter was sent to NEW.
He recalled that they just published a press release on the new date and until they could confirm the new date, activities are low key going further that the just had the second Technical Committee Meeting, to be followed by the Publicity Committee and the Advisory Committee respectively.
The Statistician General said indisputably NEW was not left out saying that such will not be.
“I think that Marcella and NEW have earned credibility over the years and NEW people enjoy my admiration and respect. It’s unfortunate that they came up with a Press Release about our activity that has the potential to attract frown even against them,” he lamented.
He said with him as head at Stats SL, a strong and capable Management co-led by his Deputy, Andrew Johnny and a dynamic, competent Stats Council headed by Moses Williams, he can assure of transparent and accountable practices in all what they do.
“This census will be!” he said with determination.
He said he does not intend to respond to the NEW Press Release because as partners they can talk with them directly and get the correct information, starting even at a time when they will hopefully attend the Publicity Committee Meeting
“I will only state that the genesis of what is becoming a household term in Sierra Leone, the Mid-Term Census, can be traced to this writer Mallam O., who became the new SG of Stats SL in April 2018,” he said with pride.
He said they want to share data from the 2015 census widely but couldn’t because of his and their inability to specify 59% of population data on localities, scattered across the country stating that analysis was possible only at the level of Enumeration Areas, one-level above which, he said, was good if some do not want to know about the population of individual settlements.
“So with my team we convinced the World Bank to contribute to fund the project. We started with $2m, it went to $4m and eventually to $6m,” he disclosed.
He said the struggle started in early 2018 well before COVID-19 and so no one can say they should have asked for the funds to be spent on COVID-19 stating how it was not alive then.
Mallam O said, besides, there are MDAs that asked to be supported for hospitals, roads, schools, water wells, power stations, etc.
“We are Stats SL, we ask to be supported to collect data on our people,” he maintained.
The Statistician General said it is a total of $30m they have received to strengthen the National Statistical System, as described in the Medium Term National Development Plan which the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MOPED) has rolled out to the people of Sierra Leone.
He asked the question : “Is it not laudable that we now have a Stats SL that is capable of developing a proposal with the World Bank that has earned us $30m?”
The census funds are part of that amount, he said
Mallam O stated that Government pledged Le14bn to the project and until now contributions are from the Chinese Embassy (two Motorcycles), MRU (large printer), UNFPA ($100,000) and UNICEF ($150,000).
He disclosed that their invitation to NEW continues to hold and they still look forward to working with its dynamic leadership.
“This is The People’s Census. No individual or institution will allow us not to include them.
Let’s work together!” he enjoined.
