2023 Census : Controversy Trails NPC N200bn Expenditure

 

             NPC Chairman, Nasir Issa Kwara

 

*****      Whereabouts of Another N500m Office Complex Fund Unknown

 

*****      As APC Group Calls For Sack, Prosecution of NPC Chairman

Controversy has continued to trail recent revelations by the National Population Commission (NPC) that it has expended over N200 billion preparing for the conduct of the now suspended 2023 national census exercise. 

The federal government through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed in April, announced the indefinite postponement of the exercise which was previously scheduled for May 3-7, 2023. 

But the NPC’s Chairman, Nasir Issa Kwara, during a breakfast meeting with media executives in Abuja over the weekend, said that the federal government released N224bn, of the N800bn that was budgeted for the exercise. 

He also explained that the commission has so far spent N200b in preparing for the now halted enumeration exercise, adding that NPC underestimated the impact of the 2023 elections which came with some financial constraints. 

Recall, that the Information and Culture Minister had said that the incoming government would fix a new date for the census. 

But defending the Commission’s activities, Issa-Kwarra said: “What we’ve been able to spend is about N200 billion, but the N800 billion budgets cover the cost of conducting the census. The government has given us N800 billion, but it is a budget, and we believe we may either spend up to that or not. 

 “The government has actually provided N224 billion which we have utilised for the census so far.” 

He explained the cost of conducting a digital census, insisting that it was high, as equipment and data for the enumeration would be procured. 

Issa Kwara equally claimed that the commission recruited about one million personnel to ensure a credible and acceptable digital census. 

While commending the media in the role it played in sensitizing the public on the project, the NPC Boss applauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to postpone the census, as he noted that it was the right thing to do as the country is about to transit to another administration. 

He also assured Nigerians of conducting the census in a serene and secure environment. 

However, in a swift reaction to Issa Kwara’s claim, a non-governmental group, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Integrity Forum demanded the sack and prosecution of the NPC Chairman for spending a whooping N200 billion in preparation of the suspended 2023 census.

This is as the group accused the chairman and members of the commission of the Commission of committing the agency into what it described as a questionable payment of over N500m for a new office apartments in the Wuye district of Abuja, while it also maintains its national headquarters at the Wuse Zone 7 area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 

It stressed that the commission’s activities are contrary to Buhari’s anti-corruption stance, as it revealed that the NPC paid about N5m for each of the six flats in the newly acquired offices in the Wuye apartment that is allegedly owned by a retired Director of the commission. 

It faulted the decision of the commission to spend such amount on a new office, while it has abandoned work at its proposed permanent site at the Mabushi district of the FCT, which the forum said is at almost at the level of completion. 

According to the Forum, the action of the NPC Chairman and the management was an embarrassment to the party as it constitutes a bad image. 

The Integrity Forum decried the negative reactions such expenditure would have brought to the government of a party that pride itself on prudence and accountability. 

The APC Integrity Forum in a statement issued on Sunday by the Chairman, Malam Dawu Mohammed and Secretary, Comrade Chinsom Nwakanma said it is unbecoming of government MDAs in the APC-led administration to be dragging the name of the party to the mood.

Recall that the NPC was last year enmeshed with allegation of spending N1.8 billion in holding conferences. This allegation led them to face National Assembly Committee. 

Also the Commission was alleged to have undertaking recruitment without approval from the Federal Character Commission (FCC), leaving the over 200 new recruits who have since assumed duties at the NPC offices without salaries, after several months of resumption, as they are yet to be captured in the IPPSS for salary. 

The APC Integrity Group said, "We listened with dismay the breakfast meeting of the NPC management held with media executives last week.

“In that meeting, we heard the National Chairman say they have spent N200 billion in preparations for the 2023 census. According to the chairman, the census is to cost N800 billion. 

“The essence of the breakfast meeting as we observed was for the media Executive to impress it on the government to release the remaining money for the census to be conducted. 

“However, as stakeholders in the APC, our position is that the NPC Chairman, Nasir Issa Kwarra should be sacked and prosecuted for reckless spending of tax payers’ money. 

“We view sincerely the actions of the NPC Chairman and his management team as an embarrassment to the party, just as it portrays bad image of the ruling party. 

"We are of the opinion that for Nigerians to take us serious as a political party, we need to purge ourselves of bad elements that bring repudiation to the party. 

But NPC Director, Public Affairs, Dr Isiaka Yahaya, told Daily Independent over phone that the N200bn were used for procurements of equipment that are available and verifiable, and for logistics and training for facilitators at the national, state and local government levels in all states of the federation, and this was done since July last year; as he accused the APC group of “acting in ignorance”. 

“Census is a project and we have to do something. And this refers to preparatory activities that started nine years ago. So, they are acting in ignorance. But if they have their facts, let them bring it out. 

The commission is not afraid to state that fact that this money was duly expended. And some of them were expended before the coming of the present commission. And these are items still available for the census”. 

On the renting of office accommodation in Wuye, he said, “the rent for that house is N37m for one and half years. It is not even up to 10 percent of the amount being rumuored”. 

Yahaya disclosed that work was still ongoing at the permanent site of the NPC headquarters in Mabushi, noting that “there’s no way you can ask workers to go and stay there. In fact, the contractors will not allow that it poses a threat to personnel and material.

“There’s no way you can ask workers to go and put their materials there. It is never done no matter how much you want to safe cost. If the house is not ready, it is not ready, and it can’t be occupied. In any case, the contract has been awarded by the federal government, it is still under construction. The house has not been completed. It is not logical for the commission to go and stay in the house when the contractor is still working, and they are still carrying out a lot of activities that can pose threat to human lives”. 

“I am not aware if the house in Wuye is owned by a former Director of the Commission or not. Even if it is owned by a former Director or a current one, so long due process was followed, what is bad about that. I know that the renting of the office went through the formal procurement process”, the Commission’s Spokesman explained.