House Committee Queries NPC over N1.9bn Expended on  Summit, N118m on Website

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

The House of Representatives Committee on National Population yesterday queried the National Population Commission (NPC) for spending the sum of N1.2 billion to host a one-day stakeholders’ summit on the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

This was disclosed during the budget defence session of the Commission by its Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, who was represented by a Federal Commissioner, Bala Banye.

The Committee also asked for details of the mock trial of the census that the Commission provide the expenditure pattern of the N5.2 billion spent on the mock census, detailing it state by state.

The Committee which was headed by Hon. Mohammed Lawan also rejected the 2023 budget proposal of the Commission for several discrepancies in the 2022 budget proposal it presented.

Hon. Chudy Momah had demanded details of how the sum was expended on the summit which was held at the Presidential Villa in August.

The Director Census, Arinola Olanikpekun, who was mandated to respond to this by the Kwara’s representative however said the sum was N1.9 billion.

She said the money was not just for the event that was held at the villa, but also for similar stakeholder meetings that were held in the 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory.

She added that the sum of N129, 520, 000 was spent for the villa event, while the rest was for the states.

The Director, Finance, Benjamin Fagbemi of the agency, who spoke on oath agreed with Olanikpekun on the sum spent on hosting the event at the villa.

He, however, said N1.2 billion was spent on the other meetings that were held across the country.

Momah noted that the said N1.2 billion was not captured in the document submitted to the Committee by the Commission on their expenditure.

In view of the discrepancies in the presentation by the Commission, the Committee moved a motion that the Commission’s budget defence be suspended.

The Commission was directed to come back next week Wednesday with more details.

“The 2022 budget performance cannot be accepted now. The commission must go back and provide more details. We cannot sit down here and speculate over numbers and taxpayers’ money.

“I move that this meeting must be postponed and adjourned for them to tidy up their papers and figures so we spend less time when they come back. I so move,” Gboluga Ikengbogu stated.

 Momah while expressing his concern added that, “In addition to the detailed expenditure pattern that we are asking for, I move that the Commission furnish this committee with a separate document that explains the expenditure pattern of that presidential summit carried out at the Villa and the ones held at the 36 states and how much was expended at each level, at state, zonal, local.

“At every level. And also for the mock trial of the census. They should also provide the expenditure pattern of the N5.2 billion spent on the mock census, detailing it state by state. So we can know the details and how much was expended at the state level.”

 Also the Committee rejected the 2023 budget proposal of the National Identity Management Commission for excluding its 2022 personnel budget expenditure from the documents it submitted.

The Director General of NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, who appeared before the Committee had said the personnel budget in 2022 was N5.8 billion.

This was as NIMC requested N13 billion for personnel in the proposal it submitted.

 The Committee directed Aziz to come back next week Tuesday, with detailed documentation of the Commission’s budget performance.