US embassy cable - 05LAGOS1433

UNCLAS LAGOS 001433 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PASS TO USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: LAGOS TRIAL CENSUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF 
NATIONAL ID CARDS 
 
 
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Trial Census Shows Imperfections in Enumeration Process 
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1. (U) A trial census conducted in select local governments 
between August 29 and September 2 revealed imperfections in 
the GON's national population census process. In Lagos, the 
exercise was held during the work week in six local 
governments. While the State government did a good job of 
getting the word out, residents mostly ignored the exercise 
and left home to go to work before the census enumerators 
could count them.  Enumerators spent hours trying to call 
back residents to be counted. Past censuses were scheduled 
on weekends and nationwide directives were issued to ensure 
that people stayed at home. While some sources in the 
Southwest and other areas claimed success, many residents 
claimed that enumerators were not present.  Septel Abuja 
discusses other areas of the country. 
 
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National Identity card: flawed collection system 
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2. (U) At the same time, the GON is introducing a national 
ID card.  Provisions for distribution of the card were 
flawed; its use as a population enumeration tool will be 
questionable at best. Card collection began in Lagos on 
August 15, where citizens were required to collect the cards 
at local government offices. Lagos state offices are fewer 
than needed and understaffed, and so crowds outside were 
generally large and fidgety. To make matters worse, the 
Lagos State governor declared that people without the cards 
would not be able to access certain social services or 
perform certain transactions in the state. Many were 
therefore bent on getting their cards right away. 
 
5. (U) A recent scene at the Lagos Mainland local government 
office provides a good snapshot of what is happening 
throughout southern Nigeria.  Two officers sat at a table, 
crowded with people, and searched through endless piles of 
ID cards.  The process was laborious.  People shoved and 
pushed.  The noise level was distractingly high. "Workers 
have generally been slow in responding to the call to 
collect," admitted one of the local government officials. He 
claimed some white-collar workers who went to his Oshodi 
local government center either left frustrated or tried to 
arrange alternate methods of collection, including group 
pick-up for corporations. 
 
6. (U) Comment: In February 2003, when the GON began 
registering people for national ID cards, senior officials, 
including a Federal Minister, were indicted for tinkering 
with the process.  If the GON intends to implement useful 
procedures for counting its population, it will have to plan 
and coordinate efforts much better.  Already, mechanisms put 
in place to update census data are untested and of dubious 
reliability.  End comment. 
 
Browne