NPC Seeks N532.7bn For 2023 Census

National Population Commission (NPC) yesterday said a total sum of N532.7 billion is needed to conduct a national census in April 2023.

The chairman of the commission, Alhaji Nasir Isa Kwarra made the disclosure to members of the Senate Committee on National Population and Identity Management during the 2023 budget defence session with the committee.

The N532.7 billion according to the NPC boss, is purely a proposal for conduct of the 2023 census which he said would be digitally done.

“Aside the N10 Billion budgetary proposal for 2023 fiscal year earmarked for NPC , the sum of N532, 795, 604, 726 billion is estimated for conduct of 2023 Census.

“NPC is ready to re- write the history of the census in Nigeria by making the 2023 one not only accurate, credible, reliable but acceptable to all Nigerians,” he said.

He added that the proposed sum for the conduct of 2023 census, covers post enumeration survey and that the exercise will be a great departure from the past in terms of keying into the issue of climate change.

In the 2023 budget proposal for the agency, Kwarra said an envelope of N1.05 million was earmarked for capital expenditure, N655 Million for overhead and N8.6 billion for personnel.

For the 2022 fiscal year, the NPC boss said a total of N206.85 million was appropriated for the commission out of which N107.7 million was earmarked for capital expenditure, N615 Million for overhead and N7.8 billion for personnel cost.

However, the chairman of the committee, Senator Sahabi Ya’u (APC Zamfara North), told the NPC boss to furnish the committee with details of projects executed with the 2022 appropriation line by line  and those proposed for the 2023 fiscal year.