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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic simmer, the Federal Government has begun a survey aimed at ascertaining the successes or otherwise of COVID-19 palliatives as well as other interventions and policies.
Briefing newsmen on the Integrated Household Survey, organised by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Statistician-General of the Federation (SG) and the Chief Executive Officer of NBS, Prince Semiu Adeyemi Adeniran said that the government intends to track the successes on other interventions and their impacts on macro and socioeconomic sectors as they affect individuals, households and businesses.
“The importance of this survey is not in any doubt, on completion of this exercise, the results will serve as a veritable source of data for tracking the success or otherwise, of several policies and interventions put in place in recent years by government in response to the macro and socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. You will recall very clearly that, when the pandemic hit Nigeria, the federal government, through various agencies, particularly the CBN, put in place several programmes and measures to cushion the COVID-19 effect on individuals, households, and businesses. So, the results emanating from this exercise will serve as a major source of information for monitoring the impact of some of those programmes and measures, particularly on households in the country. Hence its significance and value cannot be stressed enough” he said.
The SG further explained that although the survey was the first of its kind, it would be conducted every quarter.
While calling on Nigerians to co-operate with the enumerators, he assured them that their identities and information would be handled with utmost confidentiality.
Meanwhile, over 33,000 households would be interviewed across the federation
“While the working relationship between NBS and CBN is long standing, spanning over decades, this is, however, the first time an Integrated Household Survey of this nature and scope is being implemented. This survey is expected to be conducted on a quarterly basis, with the primary objective of generating reliable estimates on household income and expenditures, as well as insights into their economic behaviour and financial situation. Specifically, the scope of the survey covers the educational background and status of the households, their consumption and expenditure profiles, household assets and properties, access to financial services and credit constraints, incomes and savings, as well as information on household enterprises amongst others” he said.
The CBN Governor who spoke through the Deputy Director, Monetary and Financial Statistics of CBN, Bello Yakubu, said that the survey is one of the credible information that will aid policy articulation for the economy as a whole.
“The household integrated survey is a survey that will generate information on households, the pattern of consumption, income generation and even their residency. This will help us articulate policies that will be able to give a sound direction in terms of the impact on the economy.
“They (enumerators) will go to 33,000 households across the nation. I want to appeal to these households that will be visited by the field officers to give a maximum co-operation. The information that would be solicited would be aggregated. Your identity will not be revealed and your information will be treated with utmost confidentiality,” the governor, assured.
