Nigeria’s Postponed Census Receives N219.17bn in Six-Year Budget Allocations.

Nigeria’s postponed national population and housing census has received at least N219.17 billion in budgetary allocations between 2021 and 2026, despite the exercise not yet taking place.

An analysis of government budget records by The PUNCH showed that the allocations covered the National Population and Housing Census as well as related preparatory activities, including digital mapping, field demarcation, staff training, publicity, data management and research.

Transaction records obtained from GovSpend, a civic technology platform that tracks public expenditure, also identified N79.08 billion in census-related payments, mainly in 2022 and 2023. However, the records may not represent the government’s total releases or expenditure on the exercise.

The largest allocation came in 2022, when the Federal Government earmarked approximately N180.22 billion for census-related activities. Of that amount, N177.33 billion was specifically allocated to the National Population and Housing Census.

The 2022 budget also provided funding for field demarcation across the 774 local government areas, census publicity, stakeholder engagements, database development, pretests, training and other preparatory activities.

In 2023, census-related allocations fell sharply to about N30.49 billion, including N30 billion for outstanding activities connected to the planned 2023 Population and Housing Census.

The census, which was originally scheduled for May 3–7, 2023, was postponed indefinitely by former President Muhammadu Buhari amid financial constraints and the transition to a new administration.

Following the postponement, funding dropped significantly. Census-related allocations declined to approximately N875.5 million in 2024, before rising slightly to N1.76 billion in 2025.

The 2026 Appropriation Act subsequently reduced the allocation to approximately N1.23 billion, including N770 million specifically for the census.

According to GovSpend data reviewed by The PUNCH, identifiable census-related payments amounted to N69.32 billion in 2022 and N9.76 billion in 2023.

The payments included the procurement of personal digital assistants for electronic enumeration, Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure, digital mapping technology, logistics, census manuals, publicity materials and other operational requirements.

However, a former Director of Public Affairs at the National Population Commission, Dr Isiaka Yahaya, previously explained that more than N200 billion reportedly spent on preparations for the 2023 census represented expenditure accumulated since 2014, rather than spending solely under the immediate preparations for the postponed exercise.

The postponement has left Nigeria relying on population figures from the 2006 Population and Housing Census, nearly two decades after the country’s last official population count.

President Bola Tinubu has repeatedly expressed support for conducting a new national census and has established a committee to review the exercise. However, no new date has yet been announced.

Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has also called on the Federal Government to conduct a credible, transparent and technology-driven population and housing census without further delay.

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