By Godfred A. Polkuu, GNA
Bolgatanga, June 28, GNA – Some passengers on transit at the main lorry station in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region refused to be enumerated on Census night, Mr Philip Adofinaba, the Regional Zone One Supervisor, said.
“We were at the lorry station and some of the passengers, especially the Southerners, said they don’t want to be counted here. They want to get to their destinations and get enumerated,” the Supervisor said.
Mr Adofinaba disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the launch of the 2020 Population and Housing Census Night in the Municipality.
He said even though Census Officials called for Police intervention, some of the passengers slipped through without being enumerated.
He said some people did not like to give out information and requested money before they could give out their details.
“They think we are using the information to make money.”
Asked if members of the public were properly schooled on the exercise, the Supervisor said people just did want to give out information.
“People think the information will be used to make money. These were some of the challenges we faced during the night and I think with continuous education, some of these things will minimise,” he said.
Mr Adofinaba said residents needed to provide details of visitors who spent the night in their various houses to ensure quality data collection.
“Where you spent the night is where you should be counted to avoid double counting.”
The Field Supervisor said the Upper East Region was divided into two zones for the exercise.
Zone one includes the Bolgatanga Municipal, Bolgatanga East District, Kassena-Nankana Municipal, Builsa North Municipal, Kassena-Nankana West, Talensi, Bongo and the Builsa South Districts.
He said zone two, on the other hand, comprised the Nabdam, Zebilla, Pusiga, Garu, Tempane, Binduri Districts and the Bawku Municipality.
Mr Joseph Atuura Amiyuure, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, who launched the Census night, advised residents to take the exercise seriously as the information provided would help in development planning.
He said wrong data would affect planning, and urged the Census officials to ensure they gathered quality data to influence policy decisions.
The Upper East Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) David Fianko Okyere, told the GNA that 105 Officers were deployed for the Census night within the Bolgatanga Municipality.
He said the Officers were made up of 100 Junior Officers and five Senior Officers to monitor the exercise and ensure law and order.
At 2300 hours when the GNA visited the Upper East Regional Hospital to monitor the enumeration of patients on admission, it saw Enumerators with their nose masks on in the various units of the hospital, including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to take the needed information from patients and health personnel present.
