CISON President Urges FG To Conduct National Census

The President of the Chartered Institute of Statisticians of Nigeria (CISON), Dr Godday Uwawunkonye Ebuh, has urged the Federal Government to conduct the nation’s long-overdue nationwide inhabitants and housing census to strengthen nationwide planning and enhance evidence-based policymaking.

Ebuh additionally known as for the restoration of statistics as a topic in secondary colleges, improved funding for statistical establishments and higher funding in information infrastructure to reinforce the standard and availability of dependable statistics in Nigeria.

He made the decision on Thursday in Abuja at CISON’s Third International Conference, themed, “From Legacy to Leadership: 50 Years of Statistical Development in Nigeria.”

The CISON president stated credible statistics had been important for efficient governance, financial planning and sustainable improvement, stressing that authorities insurance policies might solely ship significant outcomes when supported by correct and dependable information.

According to him, conducting a nationwide inhabitants and housing census would offer the nation with essential demographic data required for planning infrastructure, allocating sources and delivering important public companies.

He famous that the absence of present and dependable inhabitants information might undermine improvement planning and make it tough for presidency in any respect ranges to establish the wants of residents and distribute sources equitably.

Ebuh stated Nigeria wanted to strengthen its statistical system to make sure that public insurance policies and improvement programmes had been guided by proof slightly than assumptions.

“No government can credibly plan what it does not measure, manage what it does not understand or improve what it refuses to examine,” he stated.

He urged the Federal Government to prioritise the event of a time-bound nationwide statistics programme that may set up clear targets for information assortment, evaluation and dissemination throughout essential sectors of the economic system.

The CISON president additionally known as for secure funding for statistical establishments, noting that insufficient monetary help might weaken their capability to generate well timed, correct and credible information.

He harassed the necessity to shield the skilled independence of statistical establishments to make sure that information manufacturing and reporting remained goal and free from undue interference.

Ebuh additional urged authorities ministries, departments and businesses to undertake established statistical requirements in accumulating, processing and publishing data.

He stated stronger coordination amongst authorities establishments would assist remove inconsistencies in official statistics and enhance the standard of knowledge accessible to policymakers, researchers, traders and most people.

The CISON president additionally known as on state governments to ascertain useful statistics bureaus able to producing dependable information to help improvement planning on the subnational stage.

He stated strengthening statistical capability throughout the states would enhance the provision of local-level data and assist governments design insurance policies that reply to the particular wants of their populations.

On training, Ebuh known as for the reintroduction of statistics as a topic in secondary colleges, arguing that early publicity to statistical ideas would assist develop a stronger basis for information literacy and analytical pondering amongst younger Nigerians.

He stated bettering statistics training was needed to organize college students for a world more and more pushed by information, expertise and evidence-based decision-making.

Ebuh additionally urged tertiary establishments to strengthen statistics programmes and equip college students with the technical abilities required to reply to rising calls for in the private and non-private sectors.

He known as for CISON’s involvement within the accreditation of statistics programmes in tertiary establishments to advertise skilled requirements and be sure that graduates possessed the competencies required for the apply.

The institute’s president additionally advocated for the location of knowledge science programmes inside statistics departments, noting the shut relationship between statistical strategies, information evaluation and fashionable data-driven applied sciences.

He stated integrating information science into statistics training would assist strengthen skilled capability and enhance Nigeria’s capability to harness information for financial progress and innovation.

Ebuh additional known as for the modernisation of the nation’s statistical infrastructure, together with investments in expertise and methods that may help environment friendly information assortment, processing, storage and dissemination.

He stated entry to dependable statistics ought to be improved to allow residents, companies, researchers and improvement companions to make knowledgeable selections.

According to him, making official information extra accessible would additionally promote transparency and accountability by permitting Nigerians to evaluate authorities insurance policies and programmes towards measurable outcomes.

He emphasised the necessity for stronger collaboration amongst authorities businesses, skilled our bodies, educational establishments and different stakeholders to construct a more practical nationwide statistical system.