NAN-HE- 17
Statistics
By Cecilia Ologunagba
Abuja, Nov. 23, 2017 (NAN) The Statistician-General of the Federation, Dr Yemi Kale, has called on government at all levels to strengthen the machinery for statistics production and utilisation in view of the economic reforms in Nigeria.
Kale made the call at a public lecture organised by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), to mark the 2017 African Statistics Day on Thursday in Abuja.
Kale was represented by Mr Maudo Samanja, Director, Field Services and Methodology, NBS.
The statistician-general said the current Economic Recovery and Growth Plan being implemented presented golden opportunity for government at all levels to ramp up their investments in the production of statistics.
Kale said the plan presented opportunity for production of statistics not just in economic statistics but in statistics that cut across all facets of societal life.
“Also, given the great concern for accountability and transparency which is at the top of government agenda today, there must be a sufficient supply of evidence-based statistical information in the country.
“It is obvious that statistics is the only lens through which government can be assessed objectively and remain transparent and accountable to the people.
“In this regard, government across all levels must begin to view expenditure on data as critical capital investments with high returns.
“The governments should devote the adequate resources to ensure that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) produce relevant statistics and apply same in their decision-making processes,’’ he said.
Kale said the statutory responsibility of relevant MDAs was to make the information they produced to be readily and easily accessible.
The statistician–general said it was the responsibility of MDAs to make the information they produced accessible to both government and private users.
According to him, this will help them in formulating policies, as well as monitoring and evaluating key programmes/projects.
He urged users, producers and suppliers of statistics in Nigeria to take advantage of the occasion to re-engineer their efforts in the production and usage of economic statistics to better the lives of people.
Also, Mr Ojijo Odhiambo, Economic Advisor, UN Development Programme, said the organisation had been working with the NBS to strengthen National statistical system in the country.
“Our concern is about the wellbeing of Nigerians and how statistics can be a key driver in forming policies so that we can move higher in terms of human development.
“Our concern is also to see how the country can move higher in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),’’ Odhiambo said.
Dr Olarewaju Isiaka, Director, Real Sector and Household Statistics, NBS, said the bureau had embarked on a culture of providing timely, accurate and relevant statistics.
Isiaka said that the bureau had embarked on providing accurate statistics for evidence-based decision making and policy formulation as means of transforming the social and economic well-being of Nigerians.
“The significance of statistics, therefore, for making evidence-based decision that guide the implementation of new policies of governments cannot be over-emphasised.
“The importance of statistics for making evidence based decision in monitoring of existing programmes and evaluating their impacts on the social and economic well-being of the people cannot be over-emphasised.
“Suffice to mention that statistics are a vital source of evidence as they provide us with clear, objective, numerical data on all aspects of human endeavour and the state of the nation’s economy.
“Statistics are also a vital source of evidence, including the growth and characteristic of the population, economic performance, levels of health and wellbeing as well as the condition of the surrounding environment.
“Without these, it will be difficult to make meaningful and well-informed decisions that will catalyse the socio-economic development,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the celebration is “Better Lives with Economic Better Statistics’’.
NAN also reports that the African Statistics Day Celebration is an offshoot of the meeting of ministers responsible for planning in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia held in 1990.
The meeting set aside Nov.18 of every year as a special day for statistics and promoting awareness about the important role it plays in the development of the society.
However, because Nov. 18 was on a Saturday, NBS as the coordinator of the event, resolved to celebrate it on Nov. 23. (NAN)
CIA/MO/IA
Edited by Omolade Morayo/Idris Abdulrahman