The Nigerian government has revealed that the census in 2023 will cost N400 billion.
The 2023 National Population and Housing Census will be held from March 29 to April 1, 2023.
Mr. Jick Lawrence, Head of the NPC Public Affairs Department in Plateau, revealed this on Monday at a capacity-building workshop for journalists on effective census reporting in Jos.
He added that N100 billion had already been spent on census preparations.
He said: “Over N400 billion has been earmarked to be expended on the 2023 census.” “About N100 billion has been expended on preparations ahead of the exercise. Census is a very big and capital-intensive exercise.”
He went on to say that the census had far-reaching socioeconomic benefits and that some of the funds would go toward the empowerment of about 1.5 million Nigerians, with those empowered receiving payments ranging from N100,000 to N150,000 per person.
The Census chief also revealed that the FG would purchase 56,000 vehicles to improve the movement of personnel and materials and approximately 800,000 Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).
He also mentioned that new categories would be added to the questionnaires, such as ICT literacy, fertility, child survival, deaths in the household in the last 12 months, difficulties performing activities, sanitation, and climate change, among others.
