• Orders NPC to Use NYSC Members as Cost-Saving
By Abiola Olawale
In a move said to be aimed at fiscal prudence, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rejected the proposed N942 billion budget for Nigeria’s long-overdue national census, triggering excitement as many believe it will save the nation unnecessary financial wastage. This may have dashed the hopes of contractors who have reportedly lined up to catch in on the NPC’s staggering budget estimates. The NPC is being chaired by Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, who allegedly led a bogus team, seen as waste of public resources, to the UN in New York last year.
The action was seen as a clear breach of directive “because those on Kwarra’s led delegation were not on the approved list forwarded to the Nigerian Permanent Mission in New York by the appropriate authorities in Abuja”.
Recall that President Tinubu had maintained that only approved government officials would be eligible to attend UNGA last year.
This is as the President deemed the budget excessive. The decision was said to have come during a meeting with officials of the National Population Commission (NPC) at the State House in Abuja.
Instead, the President proposed an approach of deploying members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to conduct the census.
An insider source who spoke with the press said that the President believes that the strategy will significantly cut costs while engaging the nation’s youth in a critical national exercise.
According to the source, Tinubu expressed concerns over the financial burden it would place on the government amid ongoing economic challenges.
“We cannot keep throwing money at problems without innovation,” a source close to the Presidency quoted him as saying.
Recently, the National Population Commission (NPC( outlined plans for a tech-driven census, including the use of 760,000 digital tablets currently stored with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Nigeria’s last census, conducted in 2006, recorded a population of 140 million. Since then, the country has relied on estimates—currently pegged at over 200 million—leading to concerns about data accuracy for resource allocation and development planning.
Previous attempts to hold a census, including one scheduled for 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, were postponed due to funding issues, insecurity, and logistical challenges.
