Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) should use ICT tools in its statistical data production, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, Minister of Budget and National Planning, has said.
Senator Udoma who delivered a keynote address at the grand finale of the African Statistics Day in Abuja tasked statisticians to come up with appropriate and improved methods of data production in Nigeria using the application of modern ICT tools.
According to him, Nigeria needs a strong national statistical system to enable it acquire accurate data which is necessary for effective planning and development.
“As you are already aware, economic statistics and national accounts data provide a comprehensive assessment of the performance of a country’s economy over time. A strong national statistical system with good infrastructure for collection, processing, compilation, analysis, dissemination and archiving of all economic statistics, is vital to national development,” the Minister said.
Stressing the importance of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma said “in order to get Nigeria out of the economic situation we inherited, we need to plan. In order to plan, we need statistics. So statistics are very important.”
He he stressed that the Buhari administration is committed to steady economic growth and sustainable development which is why it places deliberate emphasis on accurate data collection, analysis and projections.
“You cannot plan without accurate statistics and that is why we support accurate statistics and that is why we support the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to produce accurate statistics on which we can plan. After planning, you have to implement,” he added.
He thus called on the NBS to ensure to always use the available ICT tools at its disposal to enable it produce accurate data, which he says is a necessity for effective planning and development.
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