Nigeria’s Census Bill Hits ₦219bn as Nation Still Relies on 2006 Population Figures

More than three years after Nigeria’s planned 2023 national population and housing census was postponed indefinitely, the Federal Government has appropriated at least ₦219.17bn for the exercise and related preparatory activities between 2021 and 2026.

An analysis of government budget documents have showed that allocations rose dramatically ahead of the proposed 2023 digital census before falling sharply after the exercise was suspended.

Separately, transaction records reviewed on GovSpend, a civic technology platform that tracks public expenditure, identified at least ₦79.08bn in census-related payments made in 2022 and 2023.

The figures, however, represent different aspects of government spending. While the ₦219.17bn reflects budgetary appropriations, the ₦79.08bn represents identifiable transactions captured in the GovSpend dataset and should not be interpreted as the government’s complete release or expenditure history.

In 2021, census-related appropriations stood at approximately ₦4.61bn. The figure surged almost 39-fold in 2022 to ₦180.22bn, as preparations intensified for what was expected to be Nigeria’s first fully digital population census.

Of the 2022 allocation, ₦177.33bn was earmarked specifically for the National Population and Housing Census.

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Other provisions included funding for field demarcation across the 774 local government areas, census publicity and advocacy, staff training, digital mapping, database management, research, monitoring and evaluation, among other activities.

In 2023, the funding profile changed significantly, with ₦30bn allocated for outstanding activities relating to the population and housing census. When other census-related projects in the National Population Commission’s capital budget were included, the total stood at approximately ₦30.49bn.

This represented an 83.08 per cent decline from the previous year’s allocation.

The planned census, scheduled for May 3–7, 2023, was eventually postponed indefinitely by former President Muhammadu Buhari amid concerns over funding and the transition to a new administration.

Following the postponement, census-related funding fell sharply.

In 2024, allocations dropped to approximately ₦875.5m, a 97.13 per cent decline from the previous year. The direct provision for the census itself fell from ₦30bn in 2023 to about ₦693.3m.

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Funding increased modestly in 2025 to approximately ₦1.76bn, representing a 101.12 per cent rise from the previous year. The direct census allocation stood at about ₦1.1bn.

However, the increase was reversed in 2026, when census-related appropriations fell by about 30 per cent to ₦1.23bn, with the direct census allocation dropping to ₦770m.

Meanwhile, GovSpend records reviewed by The PUNCH showed identifiable census-related transactions of ₦69.32bn in 2022 and ₦9.76bn in 2023, bringing the total to ₦79.08bn.

The payments included procurement of personal digital assistants, cloud infrastructure, digital mapping technology, logistics, census manuals, publicity materials, recruitment systems and other operational support.

Several of the largest transactions were linked to the procurement of personal digital assistants, which were intended to form the technological backbone of the proposed digital enumeration.

The records also showed payments connected to Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure, digital census mapping, housing-listing applications, transportation of census materials, printing of manuals, posters and flyers, as well as other publicity and operational activities.

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However, the available transaction data does not necessarily represent the full amount released or spent by the government on census preparations.

In June 2023, a former Director of Public Affairs at the National Population Commission, Dr Isiaka Yahaya, said more than ₦200bn had been spent on preparations for the 2023 census.

Yahaya explained that the expenditure covered preparations dating back to 2014, rather than spending incurred only in the years immediately preceding the planned exercise.

The prolonged delay has left Nigeria dependent on population figures from the 2006 census, almost two decades after the country’s last official population count.

Although President Bola Tinubu has expressed support for conducting a new census and inaugurated a committee to review the exercise, the Federal Government has yet to announce a definite date for the next national population and housing census.

Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, recently renewed calls for the Federal Government to conduct a credible, transparent and technology-driven census without further delay.

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With more than ₦219bn appropriated over six years and billions more spent on preparations, the question now confronting Nigerians is when the country will finally get a new population figure.