N400 Billion For 2023 Census – NPC
The National Population Commission (NPC) says that more than N400 billion has been set aside for the 2023 Census.
This was said by Mr. Jick Lawrence, Head of the NPC Public Affairs Department in Plateau, on Monday in Jos while presenting a paper at a one-day workshop on developing journalistic ability in effective census reporting.
According to Lawrence, around N100 billion has already been spent on getting ready for the April exercise.
“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 said.
Lawrence, who emphasized the wide-ranging socioeconomic benefits of the census, indicated that some of the cash would be used to empower roughly 1.5 million Nigerians.
According to him, individuals that were empowered would receive payments per person ranging from N100,000 to N150,000.
In order to improve the movement of people and goods, he added, 56,000 vehicles would be hired. Additionally, about 800,000 Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) would be purchased.
Lawrence said that re-inflation of the economy through the circulation of money moved into the hands of agents and customers who provide infrastructure and services would increase the economy’s value.
He added that census was critical to development, and therefore, deserved critical attention.
Lawrence said that more items would be added to the questionnaires issued to households, which included ICT literacy, fertility, and child survival, as well as deaths in the household in the last 12 months.
Others he said were difficulties in performing activities, sanitation, climate change, among others. (NAN)
