Nasir Kwarra, the executive chairperson of the National Population Commission (NPC), says the commission has spent about N200 billion for the preparation of the 2023 population and housing census before it was postponed.
Last month, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the postponement of the exercise and added that the incoming administration would announce a new date for the population census on the assumption of office.
Kwarra who spoke at a breakfast meeting on Thursday said the N200bn was part of the N800 billion expected from the federal government as the total budget for the conduct of the exercise.
He said the amount included the cost of more than five years of preparing for the exercise by the commission.
The NPC chair said the cost of conducting a digital census was on the high side as NPC would be procuring equipment and data required for the exercise.
He added that about one million personnel have been recruited to conduct a credible and acceptable digital census for the country.
“It is important to sustain the tempo of the preparation for the census. The focus of the commission is to lay a foundation for future censuses,’’ NAN quoted Kwarra as saying.
Kwarra said Nigerians should expect a credible census, saying the commission is committed to the exercise.
Also speaking, Inuwa Jalingo, census manager, said NPC worked hard to conduct a digital census.
He said the commission was prepared to ensure a robust quality dashboard and data for the exercise.
