Scores of National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS’) staff yesterday joined the top management of the statistical agency to bid their outgoing Statistician General, Dr. Yemi Kale, farewell and also commended his outstanding contributions to the development of Nigeria’s statistical system over the years.
This is even as they thanked the Federal Government on the appointment of Dr. Simon Harry as the new Statistician General of the Federation and promised to give the new appointee all the necessary support to consolidate on the remarkable achievements recorded during Dr. Kale’s 10-year tenure.
Speaking on behalf of the top management staff of the agency during the handing-over ceremony of Dr. Yemi Kale on Monday, the Director, Real Sector and Households Statistics Department, Mr. Adeyemi Adeniran described the out-going Statistician General as an outstanding Statistician that changed the NBS narrative from being just one of the MDAs to a fully transformed agency with immense contributions to all areas of national development.
He said: “I will like to start by glorifying the name of Almighty God in the life of Dr. Yemi Kale. I count him among the luckiest persons in Nigeria, especially for what God has made him to achieve in the National Bureau of Statistics in the past 10 years. I want to assure the outgoing Statistician General that the legacy he is leaving behind will live for a long time in the history of the NBS.
“We all wish him God support and greater achievements in his future endeavours and we look forward to hearing about greater things that he will be doing very soon either in his private capacity or national capacity or international capacity. We also like to specifically thank him for being part of the key people that muted the idea that culminated into the success that we are celebrating today.
“While wishing Dr. Yemi Kale a glorious exit as he handed over the mantle of leadership at the NBS today, we also pray for God’s guidance and protection with abundant wisdom for the new Statistician General, Dr. Simon B. Harry so that he will be able to sustain the achievements of Dr. Yemi Kale and even surpass it during his tenure”, Adeniran added.
Also, the Chairman of Senior Staff Association of the NBS, Mr. Ibukun Awolesi, commended the outgoing Statistician General on his commitment to staff welfare matters, adding that “during your tenure Sir, I can say that you really gave the best to improve our welfare and we sincerely appreciate you for this and pray that God will continue to bless you in all your endeavours as you step out today.”
The labour leader said that he could not recall anytime issues of staff welfare were brought to the outgoing Statistician General and any of such issues was turned down by him, promising that the staff will also give the needed support to the incoming Statistician General “as he takes over the leadership of the NBS because he is also a leader we know and are proud of over the past years.”
Earlier in his valedictory remarks, the outgoing Statistician-General thanked the staff for their support during his tenure, saying that but for their support over the years, it would have been impossible for him to move the agency forward and position it as a model from which other similar agencies in Africa and beyond are learning from in terms of modern data collection, processing and production for planning and development.
Recalling that before he assumed office the agency had contended with a plethora of challenges, including its limited visibility despite the important work it was doing, poor reputation for not delivering on partner-funded projects and weak coordination within the National Statistical System, particularly at the state level, Kale said that the past 10-years of his leadership had led to most of the challenges addressed with the attendant positive implications for the nation’s statistical system.
Speaking on some of the key achievements of the NBS in the past few years of his leadership, he said: “We have expanded the number of statistical outputs published by the Bureau which has grown significantly from under 50 in 2011 to over 300 publications annually, reaching 309 in 2020.
“We have leveraged ICT tools to improve data production quality and timeliness, in particular by deploying GPS-enabled Computer Assisted Interviewing System (CAPI) devices for data collection as well as the introduction of a telephone call centre here at the headquarters.
“We have implemented an enhanced dissemination strategy relying on a revamped website (www.nigerianstat.gov.ng), the online data portal, e-library, virtual statistical system, data release calendar and a vibrant social media presence.
“Annually, the Bureau now receives over two million visits to our website, with over 100,000downloads of these published reports each year.
We also successfully completed methodological reviews, notably for national accounts, prices, national living standards survey and labour force statistics.
“In 2014, for the first time, we successfully completed a major exercise in partnership with multiple sub-national governments, that is the compilation of State GDP estimates for 22 states. Even now, we continue to work bilaterally with some states to build their capacity to produce their GDP, with some now doing this on annual basis, with little assistance from NBS.
“Presently, 27 states now have fully functioning state statistics offices, with their own budget line in states’ annual budgets compared to less than 5 previously”, Kale added
According to him, in addition to the above, the NBS also now sits on several Presidential Committees and is also well recognized and sits on the boards of several international statistical organizations such as the Partnership for Statistics In the 21st Century (PARIS 21), Chair of the Committee of the African Statistician Generals and member of the Board, Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN), amongst others.
Appreciating the enormity of the work ahead, he solicited the staff’s support for the incoming Statistician General who, he described as deserving the new position based on his career antecedents and professional competencies.
In his brief remarks, the new Statistician General thanked Dr. Kale for his contributions to the development of Nigeria’s statistical system and described him as “a role model from whom I have learned so much from over the years.”
While soliciting the cooperation of the NBS Directorate team and other staff as he takes over the leadership of the agency, Harry charged the top management and other employees of the agency to be ready to work harder in the task of moving it forward.
