South Sudan census body gets $3.5mln
By Isaac Vuni
April 17, 2008 (JUBA) — Isaiah Chol Aruai, the Chairman Southern Sudan Commission for Census and Statistic Evaluation (SSCCSE) said the Central Bureau of statistics and census has approved the sum of 3.5 million dollars to cover the salaries of deployed enumerators, transport, and other operation cost to be incurred during the extra seven days.
He appeal to all field enumerators and support staff already deployed in the field to remain in their respective locations till the census kicks off from 22nd April 2008 and that they will be paid extra seven days.
Commissioner Aruai admitted that there are shortage of forms distribution particularly in the states of Western and Eastern Equatoria which received Arabic questionnaires instead of English and assured Southern Sudan masses that it would be replace within the next few days before the census kicks off.
“We have agreed that questioners in Arabic to be exchange with English forms but we have to first surrender the Arabic form to the central bureau of census”, he said.
Commissioner further said the central bureau of statistics and census have signed memorandum of understanding with SSCCSE regarding exchange of confidential census information.
Speaking to the media in Juba after a meeting with national census authorities in Khartoum, he said Khartoum meeting was to operationalize the decision of the presidency that was endorsed by population census council (PCC) who had to look at the implication of delaying the census for seven days when in actual facts, all the census censures, he explained.
The central government had declined long time from sponsoring security arrangements funds to secure the process of population and housing census throughout Southern Sudan. They clearly stated that it’s the responsibility of the government of Southern Sudan, he emphasized.
The head of GoSS census body warned that Sudan will have wasted a lot of money if the census is not conducted as scheduled.
Commissioner Aruai said money for conducting census prior to recent presidency deferment of census from 15th April to 22nd April was adequate but only 115 vehicles were received from an estimated 400 vehicles for conducting successful census in the vast areas of Southern Sudan.
The states and local governments should know that shortage of vehicles is collective responsibilities, therefore, they are obliged to mobilize vehicles from within including NGOs operating in their locations for facilitate conducting census work for two weeks as it’s a national concern.
(ST)