The House of Representatives on Thursday mandated the committee on Population to invite the Director- General of the National Population Commission, NPC to explain how the N200 billion out of N869 billion meant for the suspended 2023 Population and Housing Census was spent.
The Chairman of NPC, Nasir Kwarra had assured that the N200 billion spent on the postponed 2023 census was judiciously utilised and items procured available for scrutiny.
However, adopting a motion by Honourable Clement Akanni Ademola from Boluwaduro/Ifedayo/Ila federal constituency of Osun State, the House express disturb at the indefinite suspension of the exercise by former President Muhammadu Buhari a few days before leaving office.
“Recalls that earlier in March, 2023 the former Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, said a total of N869 Billion would be required for the exercise, this figure according to the Minister, includes Post-Census-Activities; Also recalls that the National Population Commission (NPC) says, it has spent about 200 Billion to prepare for the 2023 census,” said Akanni.
The House is concerned that the need to provide the Nation with accurate and reliable demographic data for policy
formulation and planning for sustainable development could not be overemphasized.
The House noted that census is a process of systematically collecting, compiling, and analyzing demographic, social, and economic data of a population within a specific region.
It added that Censuses are conducted by governments to gather accurate and comprehensive information such as age, sex, marital status, education, occupation, housing, and other relevant demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of a country.
“Data collected are used for a wide range of purposes, including policy-making,resource allocation, urban planning, public health, education, and more. The last census, that was conducted in 2006 by the National Population Commission, gave a population figure of 140 million. The immediate-past administration of former President, Muhammadu Buhari, planned to conduct another census in 2022, but the programme was later postponed to 2023,” it stated.
Consequently,the house mandated the population committee to look into the expenditures of the NPC and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
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