The Sierra Leone Statistician General, Prof Osman Sankoh aka Mallam O, has dragged the Popa Government into dishonor they would never concede to except showing brave faces to deceive the conscience of man, it emerge from pundits at the weekend.

The now unpopular decision of President Bio’s Government in conducting a mid-term census is the initiative of Prof Mallam O as it was never part of the SLPP’s manifesto which lured many sierra Leoneans into voting President Bio at the expense of Dr Samura Kamara of the APC.

According to Pundits, Mallam O would have easily circumvented the seeming dilemma and dishonor he has brought onto the government and himself had he adhered to his sponsors’ advice, but opined that his failure to convince the government to rescind the exercise is the cause for concern.

The Electronic mid-term census is steeped in controversy, as it has been challenged by the consortium of Progressive Political Party (COPP) formed by thirteen registered political parties in Sierra Leone as unconstitutional. The European Union has further damned it as unprecedented and unnecessary at this time when the general elections are around the corner.

Amidst all facts and commendations attached with the 2015 census, and notwithstanding the condemnations and scathing attacks on Prof Osman Sankoh, he insists that the 2015 census was marred with anomalies and his idea for a digitalized mid-term census was to correct such anomalies he claims have rendered that census data incredible to be relied upon for any equitable distribution of National Wealth.

But pundits say Mallam O’s condemnation of the 2015 census in which he did not participate on is an attempt to justify his initiative as great and excellent.

A stalwart of the opposition said that Mallam O’s selfishness to make a name for himself and maintain his office has placed the country and the government in extreme risk because he is aware that his action would receive backlashes and perhaps national crisis but he is not bothered, as long as he is the initiator of the idea.

Meanwhile, reports filtered into our news desks state that though the mid-term census commenced on the 10th December 2021, the turnout has proved yet low. Some communities said they have not seen any enumerator approaching them for counting, whilst a good number of people are said to have chased census officers out of their homes with scorn.