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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) yesterday, said that a survey carried out by the bureau, disclosed that the online media ranks 95 per cent source of information for Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 50, followed by social media with 79 per cent.
Others include, television, 61 per cent and print media, 31 per cent.
In his opening remarks at a retreat organised for journalists and the civil society organisations, by the bureau, in Keffi, Nasarawa State, the Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NBS, Prince Semiu Adeyemi Adeniran, said that with this population demography being the most politically and economically active, and numerically significant, the information they get at any point in time is very important, given the potential impact it can have on the whole nation.
Also, he said, considering the vast reach of the top two platforms through which they get their news, and the speed at which news items travel through those platforms, it becomes more important that the veracity and authenticity of the reportage is not in doubt.
” Statistics, without exaggeration, are part of the fabric of the present-day world. They are a pervasive feature of daily life, shaping the way we think and behave, in ways that many of us no longer realise. Almost every key aspect of modern life – the quality of the air we breathe, the severity of a medical condition, the performance record of our businesses, the price of assets we own, the health of the economy in which we operate, the national leader we want to vote, so on and so forth – are statistically measured in one way or another.
“Thus, there is no question to whether the media and civil society should work with the statistical system, but more about, how we can strengthen our working relationship, and enhance it for better effectiveness and results. I believe that is exactly what this retreat is designed to achieve over the next few days” he said.
To this effect, Adeniran, sought for collaboration with the media and the civil society organisations, saying that they need one another for nation’s development.
“How Do we Work together?
Since we have established the fact that we must work together, the question now becomes how we do this or how do we work better? For us to do so adequately and effectively, there is a need to first understand all the stages involved in our data production processes. This includes having a good knowledge of the design, collection, analysis, and dissemination stages employed by the NBS or the statistical system in the course of data production. In addition, there is the need to fully understand the meaning of concept of these indicators, how to interpret the changes in each of them, and what exactly those changes mean for the average person on the street. It is equally crucial that, the bureau also, is well armed with sufficient insight of how the media and civil society organisations operate in passing information to the public and campaigning on public issues. The best way to do this is for us to engage honestly and openly with each other” he noted.
ENDS
