Tracka Queries N129.5bn Census Spending, Accuses NPC of FOI Breach

Sunday Ehigiator

Civic technology organisation, Tracka, has raised alarm over the disbursement of N129.5 billion for Nigeria’s suspended 2023 population census, demanding immediate accountability from the National Population Commission (NPC).

In a statement issued yesterday by its parent body, BudgIT Foundation, Tracka said despite the huge expenditure between February 2022 and December 2023, no enumeration results have been released, describing the situation as a “governance crisis.”

According to the group, “the census, which was announced, partially mobilised, and ultimately truncated without a single enumeration result being published, has consumed billions of naira of public funds with no corresponding public accountability.”

Tracka said its analysis of public expenditure records showed that “payments totalling N129.5 billion” were made to contractors and service providers for the exercise, including “N118.38 billion for Personal Digital Assistants and accessories, N2.47 billion for Hilux vehicles, N499.8 million for power banks, and N106.19 million for an e-recruitment portal.”

The organisation disclosed that it formally wrote to the NPC on February 19, 2026, invoking the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, requesting details of total funds disbursed, breakdown of expenditures, contractors involved, expected deliverables, and the current status of the census.

It noted that although the letter was acknowledged on March 2, 2026, the commission is yet to respond.

“This silence is not an administrative delay. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2011, a public institution is required to respond within seven days. The National Population Commission is now in clear violation of Nigerian law,” the statement said.

Speaking on the implications, Head of Tracka, Joshua Osiyemi, said: “We recognise that for some, N129.5 billion is an abstraction… An accurate, credible population census is not a statistical exercise. It is the foundation upon which every serious development decision in a modern state is built.”

He added, “Without it, children continue to attend overcrowded classrooms. Hospitals and Primary Health Centres remain under-resourced. Social protection programmes are designed on guesswork rather than evidence.”

Tracka further warned that “electoral representation, constituency delineation, and the allocation of political seats continue to rest on figures from 2006, a structural injustice embedded in Nigeria’s democratic architecture.”

The group called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the utilisation of the funds.

“The scale of spending against the complete absence of outcomes warrants urgent investigative attention,” it said.

It also urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to probe procurement processes tied to the census.

In addition, Tracka appealed to the National Assembly to summon the NPC for a public hearing.

“The legislature has both the constitutional authority and the civic responsibility to summon the National Population Commission for a public hearing. Nigerians deserve to hear these answers in public,” the statement added.

Tracka maintained that it would continue to track public spending, insisting: “The suspended 2023 census is not simply a technocratic failure. It is a symbol of a governance culture in which billions can be spent, projects can be abandoned, laws can be violated, and institutions can remain silent without consequence.”