A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the National Population Commission (NPC) to release procurement documents relating to the postponed 2023 census exercise to the Network for the Actualization of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD).
In a judgment delivered on July 11, H.J. Yilwa, the presiding judge, held that the NPC’s refusal to provide the requested records was a “flagrant breach” of NEFGAD’s right to access information under sections 1, 2, and 4 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011.
The judge directed the commission to immediately furnish NEFGAD with all procurement documents it requested in a letter dated March 29, 2023.
The documents pertain to contracts awarded for the purchase of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the development of an e-procurement portal, both tied to preparations for the now-suspended national population census.
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NEFGAD had accused the NPC of awarding the contracts in violation of due process and provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
The group approached the court to compel disclosure of the information after the commission failed to honour its FOI request.
Reacting to the judgment, Timilehin Odunwo, NEFGAD’s lead counsel, described the ruling as a “victory for transparency and good governance.”
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“The court has once again affirmed that public resources and procurement processes must not be shrouded in secrecy,” he said.
“Nigerians deserve to know how their funds are spent, especially on critical national assignments like the census.”
In April 2023, the late former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the postponement of the population census.
The exercise was scheduled to be held between May 3 and 5, 2023. Nigeria last held a census in 2006.
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