Abuja, March 28, 2023 – BudgIT, a civic organisation on budget and public data transparency, has urged the National Population Commission (NPC) to publish the breakdown of the N869 billion budget for 2023 National Population Census.
BudgiT made the call in a statement signed by Nancy Odimegwu, its communications associate.
It said that the 2023 elections had just ended and Nigeria could draw some wisdom from it to help save costs during this critical period.
BudgiT said Nigerian government should work on reducing the multidimensional poverty of over 133 million people, and investments that will significantly reduce these numbers should be prioritised and not wasted on frivolities.”
The organization also called on the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the Minister of State for Finance, Budget and Planning to make this information available on its website for easy accessibility for the citizens and stakeholders.
Clem Agba, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning in March, said a total of N869 billion ($1.88 billion) would be required for the exercise. This figure includes post-census activities.
According to him, N626 billion ($1.36 billion) will be used for the census at $6 per citizen, and N243 billion ($527 million) will 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,”
“To this end, we have requested the complete breakdown of the N869 billion for the National Population Census exercise-the amount released, utilised, and the cashback-following the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of 2011.”
“The country’s resources are scarce at this time, and we do not believe this is the best use of N869bn at these difficult times considering Nigeria’s current debt profile, which stands at N44 trillion.
“The 2023 elections have just ended, and Nigeria could draw some wisdom from it to help save costs during this critical period.
“The Nigerian government should work on reducing the multidimensional poverty of over 133 million people, and investments that will significantly reduce these numbers should be prioritised and not wasted on frivolities,” it advised. (GBN)
