The Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr. Simon Harry, has stressed the need for stakeholders in the national statistical system to collaborate in credible data production in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria.
Harry gave this advice in his keynote address delivered at the two-day meeting of the National Consultative Committee on Statistics (NCCS) which kicked off on Thursday in Kano, Kano State.
Noting that provision of reliable statistical data would help in tracking and monitoring progress being made in achieving the SDGs as well as Africa Agenda 2063, the Statistician General charged the NCCS’ members to help in providing effective and efficient statistical data on the country’s economy.
According to him, the role of the NCCS, which is the coordinating body of the Nigerian Statistical System (NSS), is crucial in the national drive towards the production of evidence-based and credible data for national planning and development.
The NBS’ CEO, therefore, pointed out that the key roles of the committee required continued commitment of its members so that the nation’s economy could be positioned on the path of sustainable growth.
While urging the State Bureaus of Statistics to ensure that relevant frameworks are put in place to guide the process of statistical production at the sub-national levels, the Statistician General explained that this had become imperative if the statistical system in Nigeria must provide the statistics needed for the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the national and state development plans.
In addition, he maintained that the frameworks would help in tracking and monitoring progress being made in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as well as Africa Agenda 2063.
Harry further clarified: “These are key national and global programmes that require comprehensive, timely and reliable statistical information to achieve the desired results.
“In this connection, perhaps, it is pertinent to inform members of the NCCS that the implementation of the second generation National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) ended last year with some remarkable achievements recorded.
“These include the establishment of 30 States Bureaus of Statistics, improvement in statistical delivery through the conduct of Surveys and Censuses, such as the Nigerian Living Standard Survey, Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Labour Force Survey, National Business Sample Census, to mention but a few”, the Statistician General added.
He recalled that on assumption of office as the CEO of the NBS, he sets a three-point agenda covering the areas of General Administration and Human Resource Management, Infrastructural Development and Technical Operations, which he considered critical in rejuvenating, revamping, strengthening and repositioning the NBS in the short run to enable it effectively coordinate the country’s National Statistical System (NSS).
According to him, to ensure sustained development of statistics in the country, the NBS also designed a Corporate Strategy 2022-2025, to define a roadmap for improving the quantum and quality of statistics in the country.
He listed the seven key priorities areas of the strategy as including Organizational and Institutional Development; Infrastructural Development; Human Resource Management and Development; Statistical Advocacy; Data Production; Information Technology and Data Dissemination.
Harry further explained that the design of the Strategy was a deliberate arrangement to ensure improved delivery of statistics in line with the National Development Plan (2021–2025).
