Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Kwarra, on Wednesday, told a Senate committee that it would need N532.7 billion to conduct the 2023 National Housing and Population Census in April 2023.

Mr Kwarra said this at the 2023 budget defence before the Senate Committee on National Identity Card and National Population Commission (NPC) in Abuja.

“Based on the budget for the census, what we need to be able to complete the conduct of the census as well as the post enumeration survey and all other post census activities is a total of N532.7 billion.

”Aside from the N10 billion budget for 2023, the NPC earmarked the sum of N532.7 billion for conduct of 2023 census.

”NPC is ready to re- write the history of census in Nigeria by making the 2023 one not only accurate, credible and reliable, but acceptable to all Nigerians,” he said.

Mr Kwarra said that the budget also covered the post enumeration survey for the census, saying that it would be a great departure from the past in terms of keying into the issue of climate change.

He said that N206.85 billion was the approved budget of the commission in 2022, out of which N107.7 billion was for capital expenditure, N615 million for overhead and N7.8 billion for personnel cost.

Senator Sahabi Ya’u, the Chairman of the Committee urged the NPC boss to furnish the committee with details of projects executed with the 2022 budget in contrast with the 2023 budget.

(NAN)