Liberia declared a public holiday on Friday so that people could remain at home and be counted as part of a long-delayed census, but none of the 71,000 counters recruited for the job are out counting due to a disagreement about their remuneration.
There was also a last-minute disagreement between the head of the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services and another senior official in charge of statistics.
The head of the institute insists that preparations are finished, but the other official warns that any premature counting will not be accurate or credible.
Folks in rural areas have been calling people in Monrovia to inquire about the census’s status out of confusion.
President George Weah has faced harsh criticism for not staying at home for the census and setting an example for others. He has been out of the country for weeks attending official engagements, including watching his son, Timothy, play for the US team in the World Cup in Qatar.
A postponement of the event to allow for more adequate planning had been urged by certain MPs, but this wasn’t taken into account.
The constitution of Liberia mandates that a census be carried out every ten years. To determine the electoral districts for the general election in 2023, the results are required.