BudgIT, a leading public data organization raising active citizens’ participation in nation-building and government-citizen communication for good governance and accountability, has urged the National Population Commission (NPC) to publish the breakdown of the N896 billion 2023 National Population Census budget.
The civil advocacy group, in a statement issued by its Communication Associate, Nancy Odimegwu, on Sunday, recall that in March, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, said that a total of N869 billion ($1.88 billion) would be required for the exercise.
According to her, 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.
BudgIT noted that while the census exercise remained 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 was the need for the commission to provide details of its budget, to ensure public transparency and accountability.
To this end, it requested the complete breakdown of the 896 billion for the National Population Census exercise, the amount released, utilized, and the cash-back, following the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2011 as well as provide the list of states and local government areas that will receive the allocations.
Commenting on the group’s charge to the NPC, the Ag 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 N896bn at these difficult times considering Nigeria’s current debt profile, which stands at N44trn. 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 prioritized and not wasted on frivolities”, she added.
BudgIT, therefore, called on the National Population Commission, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and the Minister of State for Finance, Budget and Planning to make the information available on the commission’s website for easy accessibility to citizens and stakeholders.
