The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the coordinating agency for Nigeria’s statistical system, at the weekend called on farmers and other agricultural sector’s stakeholders in the country to support its about-to-kick off National Agriculture Sample Census (NASC) given the exercise’s potential positive socio-economic implications for the nation’s sustainable development.
The representative of the Statistician General of the Federation, Mr. Yemi Adeniran, gave this charge at a Stakeholders’ Sensitization Workshop organized by the Bureau, in collaboration with the World Bank Group and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to guide national and sub-national agricultural and statistical production players on the processes for the exercise held in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
While describing the NASC, which was last conducted in the country in years 1993-1994, as an exercise designed to fill the existing data gap in the agricultural landscape in Nigeria, Adeniran stressed that if successfully completed, the challenges of food insecurity, malnutrition and lack of effective policies to guide the operations in the agricultural value chain would be addressed and Nigeria would translate the agricultural sector into a major source of foreign exchange earnings, job creation and farmers’ empowerment.
He said: “On completion, NASC will provide a statistically sound base of information for policymakers, both in the public and private sectors, to take important decisions on boosting output and maximizing potential throughout the entire agriculture value chain.
“It will also be complimented by other surveys and administrative data, to serve as a major input to the proposed Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rebasing scheduled for the latter part of the year. So, as you can imagine, this exercise is very significant for the statistical system and the entire nation.
Adeniran, who is also the agency’s Director of Demography and Households Statistics Department, noted that over the past couple of years, staff of NBS had been working relentlessly with development partners such as the World Bank and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to come up with a comprehensive design and strategy for implementing the NASC project.
According to him, a tentative work plan and timeline of activities have been developed, covering all aspects of the census, from the planning stage all through to the dissemination of the results, adding that to achieve the desired results in terms of good coverage and quality of responses, relevant stakeholders must be in the know, and have a good understanding of the aims and objectives of the project.
Adeniran, who spoke on the various stages of the census, including the enumeration the Listing and Sample Survey Phases, and the methodology to be adopted in the conduct of the exercise, amongst others, stressed that all the measures would go a long way in safeguarding the quality and integrity of the exercise.
In concluding his opening remarks, the Director solicited the kind cooperation of agricultural households, establishments, and communities across the country, adding that the information they provide during exercise is vital and will be extremely useful in assisting government to have a better understanding of the structure and composition of the nation’s agricultural sector.
He stressed: “The success of this census rests on all our shoulders and we cannot shy away or abdicate this responsibility, but we must be alive to it and work hard to ensure we achieve a successful outcome. In the end, our dear country will be the better for it.”
