A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a directive to the National Population Commission (NPC), compelling it to reveal the details of expenditures associated with the suspended 2023 Population Census within a seven-day timeframe.
Initially planned for 2022, the census was rescheduled for 2023 but was subsequently put on hold indefinitely by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who deferred the responsibility of announcing new dates to President Bola Tinubu. The census is now scheduled for November 2024.
In June 2023, the NPC announced that it had allocated a total of N200 billion towards preparations for the census.
The court’s decision comes after Abuja-based lawyer Opatola Victor filed a lawsuit against the NPC for refusing to disclose spending details despite a Freedom of Information Act request. Victor argued that the NPC’s refusal violated his rights under the FOI Act 2012 and sought both an order of mandamus compelling disclosure and a compensation of N500,000 for the breach.
In delivering the judgment, Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the NPC’s claims of bureaucratic challenges and the absence of the executive chairman as reasons for withholding the information. He also rejected the NPC’s assertion that certain details were classified, emphasizing that transparency was paramount in the census process.
Justice Ekwo deemed the NPC’s refusal to disclose the information as unlawful and unconstitutional. He ordered the NPC to provide comprehensive information regarding the Quality Test Assurance Report on the technology to be used for the census. However, he declined to award the requested compensation of N500,000 to the plaintiff.
