CENSUS: WE SPENT N200 BILLION IN PLANNING — NPC

The preparations for the 2023 population and housing census have already cost more over N200 billion, according to the National Population Commission (NPC).

This was announced by the commission’s chairman, Nasir Isa-Kwarra, at a breakfast gathering with media executives on Thursday in Abuja in advance of the population and housing census of 2023.

The NPC boss added that while N800 billion had been budgeted for the census, only N224 billion had actually been set aside by the federal government.

He stated, “We have been able to spend roughly N200 billion. Thus, the N800 billion serves as a budget and is used to pay for the expense of conducting the Nigerian census. It’s not that the government has handed us N800 billion; rather, it’s a budget that we believe we may or may not spend all of.

“To be clear, the federal government has actually given N224 billion, which we have used for the census so far,” the spokesperson said.

Isa-Kwarra applauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice to delay the census, saying it was the proper course of action given that the country is about to change to a new administration.

Despite security concerns from various regions of the country, he also gave Nigerians the assurance that the census would be conducted in a calm and secure environment.

In a similar vein, Dr. Eyitayo Oyetunji, Federal Commissioner for Oyo State, NPC, and Chairman Public Affairs Committee, claimed that the census was just postponed and that preparations were still being made.

The census procedure is still underway, he said. We wish to highlight that even though it has been delayed and rescheduled, the process is still moving on and that it has not been cancelled.

“When President Muhammadu Buhari announced the postponement, he also instructed us to carry on with our work while letting the next administration join the process and take ownership of it.

“We want to reassure Nigerians that the preparations made and the money spent are safe and not wasted, and that we will keep working toward the exercise’s success.”