After spending N186bn, fate of procured equipment for botched 2023 census in doubt, as items go missing

Decision by the Federal Government, as approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, late Friday, to postpone the scheduled 2023 National Population and Housing Census may have been informed by the state of unpreparedness of the National Population Commission (NPC), just as it was also reliably gathered that items procured for the exercise are already being declared missing from the commission’s stores across the country.

It would be recalled that President Buhari approved the postponement of the much-touted 2023 Census exercise which has already gulped about N186 billion in procuring high-tech digital equipment, advertising and sensitisation of populace, training and capacity-building of staff and adhoc personnel, stationeries, and many more.

The postponement which was announced late Friday in a statement signed and issued by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, also explained that the exercise is now left for the incoming administration to decide a new date for take-off.

The 2023 National Population ad Housing Census was originally scheduled to commence nationwide from May 3 to 7, 2023.

“The President gave the approval after meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council and the Chairman of the National Population Commission and his team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday (28 April 2023).

“In arriving at the decision to postpone the Census, the meeting reiterated the critical need for the conduct of a Population and Housing Census, 17 years after the last Census, to collect up-to-date data that will drive the developmental goals of the country and improve the living standard of the Nigerian people.

“The President noted that with the completion of the Enumeration Area Demarcation of the country, conduct of first and second pretests, the recruitment and training of adhoc workers, procurement of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and ICT infrastructures, appreciable progress has been made in the implementation of the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

“He also commended the methodology being put in place by the Commission to conduct accurate and reliable Census, especially the massive deployment of technology that is capable of delivering world class Census and laying a sustainable basis for future censuses.

“The President further directed the Commission to continue with preparations for the conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census in order to sustain the gains already recorded and provide the basis for the incoming administration to consolidate these achievements.

“The meeting was attended by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Mr Clem Agba and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha.”

However, reports have emerged that some high-tech equipment procured by the NPC are being pilfered at the commission’s stores across the country.

It was gathered that sophisticated equipment such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) for each Enumerator across the country and stationeries, census pads and other items procured for the exercise have gone missing from NPC offices across the country.

It was also reliably gathered that no fewer than 10 of the PDAs which costs at least N200,000 per unit, have disappeared from the Lagos office.

This is also as the readiness of some of the Enumerators selected for exercise are in doubt in terms of adequate training on capacity following the constant shift in proposed dates for their scheduled trainings.

It was further gathered that an online training had, however, begun for Facilitators on April 25 which was supposed to end April 27, but deferred till Friday April 29.

The physical training had earlier been cancelled eight times before it was later converted to a virtual training for which no data was provided for the participating facilitators.