The National Population Commission has said the 2023 census will cost more than N400 billion. Mr Jick Lawrence, the head of Public Affairs in Plateau State, revealed this on Monday. This was during a one-day capacity-building workshop for journalists on effective reporting of the census in Jos.
He revealed about N100 billion had so far been spent on arrangements ahead of the April exercise. The statement made was;
Over N400 billion has been earmarked to be expended on the 2023 census. About N100 billion has so far been expended on preparations ahead of the exercise, census is a very big and capital-intensive exercise.”
He went further to say some of the funds would be used to empower about 1.5 million Nigerians. He also added that 56,000 vehicles would be rented to ease the movement of personnel and logistics. All of this would happen while about 800,000 Personal Digital Assistants would be procured.
The Commission has also assured Nigerians of a hitch-free population census, noting that, the Commission would be leveraging technology to achieve the feat. It stated this ahead of the first digital 2023 National Population and Housing Census scheduled to hold from March 29 to April 1st, 2023.
The chairman, of NPC, Nasir Isa Kwara, at the hand-over of the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) in Lagos, explained that the commission has also put in place measures to ensure that the population census is conducted in the most credible and efficient manner. He noted that the acceptance of the newly procured PDA is symbolic, pointing out that, the
PDA is very important to the success of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.
