N200 Billion Spent on Preparations for 2023 Census in Nigeria, NPC Says

Ilesanmi AdekanbiJune 17, 2023

1 minute read

The National Population Commission (NPC) has said that it has spent N200 billion on preparations for the 2023 Census in Nigeria since 2014.

The NPC’s Director of Public Affairs, Isiaka Yahaya, said this during a press conference in Abuja on Friday.

He said that the N200 billion was not spent in the last few weeks, months or years but rather since 2014 when preparations for the 2023 Census actually began.

Yahaya said that part of the N200 billion was spent before the coming of the present commission, which was inaugurated twice between 2018 and 2020 and even before the inception of the Buhari Administration.

He said that the huge sum was spent on different preparatory processes to ensure the exercise comes out with credible and acceptable data.

He said that chief among its spending was the demarcation of the country into enumeration areas for easy clustering and which has provided the country with data on the number of houses in the country.

Yahaya also said that the NPC has acquired digital devices and software for data collection and processing, as well as trained its staff and enumerators on how to use them.

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He said that the NPC has also conducted a pilot census in July 2022 to test its readiness for the final census in 2023.

He said that the 2023 Census will be Nigeria’s first digital census and will provide socio-demographic data on the population such as literacy, fertility, mortality, migration, assets owned and usage of Information Communication Technology (ICT). He said that the census will also provide information on housing, type of houses, household amenities, sanitation among others.

Yahaya said that the census will enable Nigeria to know its exact population and its characteristics for planning and development purposes. He said that the census will also help to address issues such as insecurity, unemployment, poverty and inequality.

He said that the NPC is working with relevant stakeholders such as security agencies, civil society organizations, media and international partners to ensure a successful census. He said that the NPC is also seeking adequate funding from the government and donors to conduct the census.