Suspended 2023 Census: Court Decides Whether to Order NPC Account for N200bn April 16

Alex Enumah in Abuja 

Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja, will on April 16, decide if it should compel the National Population Commission (NPC) or not to give account on how it spent N200 billion out of funds allocated to it for the conduct of the suspended 2023 National Census.

The court fixed date for judgment after the adoption of final written address.

A lawyer, Victor Opatola, had accused the NPC of refusing to provide detailed information on how it spent the sum of N200 billion on preparations for the postponed  2023 Population and Housing Census.

When the matter was called on Thursday before Justice Inyang Ekwo, the judge called on counsel to identify and adopt all the processes they filed in the matter.

Opatola, who represented himself as plaintiff, told the court that all processes had been filed and exchanged with the defendant.

“The plaintiff filed an originating summons along with a 12-paragraph affidavit and I also filed a reply on points of law and I seek to adopt them,” he said.

The counsel to the NPC, Mr C.D Chimezie, also identified and adopted all his processes.

At the end of their adoption, the judge stated that judgment in the suit will be delivered on April 16, this year.

The NPC Executive Chairman, Nasir Kwarra, in May 2023, had disclosed that the commission spent N200 billion for preparation, out of the expected N800 billion needed to conduct the census.

But Opatola told the court that he had filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) application to the commission on March 2023, requesting information on the budget submitted by the commission for the 2023 Census, as well as the amount so far received by the commission towards the conduct of the 2023 census.

The plaintiff, who claimed that the said application addressed to the NPC was duly acknowledged and served on the commission through its chairman, lamented that the NPC declined to do the needful in line with relevant laws.

Amongst the reliefs the plaintiff sought before the court include:

 * An order of mandamus directing the defendant including their servants, agents, privies, officials and or cohorts to furnish the plaintiff with comprehensive and detailed information concerning information on the company/companies that provided due diligence report on the technology to be deployed by the commission for the coming 2023 Census upon the plaintiffs application  within 7 days.

* An order of mandamus directing the defendant including their servants, agents, privies, officials and or cohorts to furnish the plaintiff with comprehensive and detailed information concerning information on the Due Diligence Report on the Technology to be deployed by the commission for the coming 2023 general census by the plaintiffs application within 7 days.

* An order of mandamus directing the defendant including their servants, agents, privies, officials and or cohorts to furnish the plaintiff with comprehensive and detailed information concerning information on the funds received so far by the commission towards the conduct of 2023 Census by the plaintiffs application within 7 days.

* An order of mandamus directing the defendant including their agents, privies, officials and or cohorts to furnish the plaintiff with comprehensive and detailed information concerning information on the budget submitted by the commission for the 2023 Census.