NAN-HE-12
Statistics
By Cecilia Ologunagba
Abuja, Feb. 17, 2017 (NAN) Prof. Peter Osanaiye, a Consultant on Statistics and Quality Management, has advised the Federal Government to invest more in research and statistics to achieve its diversification drive.
Osanaiye, who is also a Professor of Statistics at the University of Ilorin, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
He said that statisticians should be collaborating with researchers in those key ministries driving the diversification agenda to carry out research and analysing the data as well.
“Also, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) should collaborate with those ministries to enhance data gathering and processing to move the country forward,’’ he said.
The Academic said people did not have enough awareness in the use of statistics, noting that the word statistics was derived from Latin word “Status” meaning, political state or a government.
“Statistics will enable the people to know the political state of a nation because you cannot improve unless you know where you are.
“You use data to monitor and evaluate; you need data to know the impact of development and the three things that are important.
“ You talk about accountability, transparency and resource bound and you cannot achieve these three without data,’’ he said.
Osanaiye said that one of the greatest weapons to reduce poverty was statistics, saying that “it is the eyes of decision makers and also the eye of policy makers’’.
“No nation can develop without good statistics; we need timely, adequate, relevant and quality statistics on social, economic and demographic information about Nigeria.
“ How can we plan without data. How can we make policies without data.
“The role of statistics is so important that statisticians alone cannot cope, so we need to train people to use data because it is a cross-cutting issue.
“ If you are a lawyer, you need data; if are you in construction sector, you need data, even as a journalist, you need data,’’ he said. (NAN)
CIA/AMY/AMY
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Edited by Abdullahi Yusuf