(By Basil Obasi – ABUJA)
The Federal government of Nigeria in collaboration with the European Union (EU), through the EU Support to Federal Governance Reforms (EU-SUFEGOR) initiative, recently launched National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS II), with a five-year lifespan from 2017 to 2021.
The Statistician General of the Federation, Dr. Yemi Kale, at the launch in Abuja, made a plea for more support from stakeholders to back the implementation of the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS II), a scheme planned to enhance timely data for effective economic planning and development of the country.
The Statistician-General who was represented by the Director, Field Services and Methodology Department of NBS, Mr. Babayo M. Samanja, assured that the Federal Government would leave no stone unturned in putting in place the necessary statistical infrastructure that would support the implementation of NSDS II.
The National Strategy for the Development of Statistics is designed to provide a framework for the development and ownership of statistics in the country, by sufficiently equipping the system in terms of human resources, tools and infrastructure to provide timely and reliable statistics.
“Accordingly, I wish to appeal to the relevant government authorities to accord the implementation of these strategies the desired support.
This is critical in order to provide robust and reliable statistical information that would aid government decision-making processes as well as proper planning of socio-economic programmes in the country,” Kale said.
In a communique signed at the end of the launch, participants urged government to provide adequate financial resources to ensure the success of the programme, stressing that lack of Statistics Trust Fund in Nigeria has been impeding the operations of Statistical Agencies within the National Statistical System.