South West Rejects Population Estimation Results

The South West State of Somalia has officially rejects the results of population estimation survey released by the ministry of planning in conjunction with the UN Population agency UNPFA.

In a cabinet meeting, the ministers decided not to accept the results and urged the government to reconsider.

Spokesman Abdikadir Nadara told reporters that the population of regions under the administration is not as projected by the survey.

All other regional states have rejected the survey citing similar reasons.

In a radio debate on Goobjoog last night, the deputy minister of planning of South West Mohamed Haji Ibrahim and minister for presidency of Jubbaland Abdighani Jama has both criticized the methodology used by the surveyors. They said there are allot of inconsistencies in the survey.

“I think the minister was pressurized to release this data, I remember him being critical of the survey one year ago when he was the director of a think tank, now he is the minister in charge, he somehow pushed to release it” said the Abdighani Jama.

But a director at the ministry of planning Noor Ahmed Weheliye who was also on the debate said “The funny thing is that the regional states has no problem with the overall number, but each want their respective regions to be projected as populous”.

Noor who is a veteran population expert was part of all census exercises in the country since 1975, and he believes that the results of the new estimation are the best Somalia can have.

Goobjoog News