President J.E.A. Mills has dismissed criticisms of his decision to truncate an Asian tour to participate in the national population and housing census. The president was expected to continue to Japan from China where signed a number of credit facilities. He however returned home to participate in the census which kicked off midnight September 26 and will run for two weeks. He is expected to depart Accra for Japan on Tuesday. Some Ghanaians have argued that coming home and going back to Japan is a complete waste of the Ghanaian taxes. But the President has rejected the criticism, justifying his return home to participate in the census on the basis of the importance of the exercise. President Mills laid out his justification Monday morning when census officials went to the Osu Castle for the enumeration exercise. “This is a very important national assignment. From Biblical times, people had to go to their places of birth, you all know, to be counted, and I believe that as Head of State, it is important that I be present during this period to get the process going so that everybody will know the importance of this event,” the president asserted. The president said, “I have considered it very carefully, and I believe that it is in the national interest for me to do so.” The Government Statistician, Mrs Grace Bediako, lauded the president for taking the census seriously. Source: Joy News/Ghana