BudgIT wants NPC to break down the N896bn census budget for clarity

BudgIT has urged the National Population Commission (NPC) to publish a breakdown of the N896 billion 2023 National Population Census budget.

Recall that earlier in March, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, had said that a total of N869 billion ($1.88 billion) would be required for conducting census in the country.

This figure, according to him, included post-census activities.

He said that N626 billion ($1.36 billion) would be used for the census at $6 per citizen, and N243 billion ($527 million) would be used for post-census activities up to 2025.

While the census exercise is crucial for planning a progressive and sustainable development—which is not limited to knowing the revenue estimation, economic needs, unemployment level, living standard, and policies—there is a need for the commission to provide details of its budget, to ensure public transparency and accountability, BudgIT said.

To this end, BudgIT called for the complete breakdown of the N896 billion for the National Population Census exercise—the amount released, utilized, and the cashback—following the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of 2011.

The organisation also said “we have requested that the commission makes available the list of states and local government areas that would receive these allocations.

Acting Head, Open Government and Institutional Partnership, Iyanuoluwa Bolarinwa said “The country’s resources are scarce at this time, and we do not believe this is the best use of N896 billion at these difficult times considering Nigeria’s current debt profile, which stands at N44 trillion.”