NBS: Creating stronger and more vibrant data systems is essential

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is tasked with presenting the statistical reality of the Nigerian nation. But officials say the numbers need to be compiled in a transparent manner to increase credibility, AMEH OCHOJILA reports.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) strives to fulfill its mission and contribute to a data-driven, progressive and economically viable country where statistics are essential to effective governance and development. He has been plagued by numerous suspicions including: Loss of data, erosion of trust, and general mistrust due to interference by the political class and others.

This explains why stakeholders say it is time to review the agency’s legal framework to improve its credibility and insulate it from political influence.

The call came as the group similarly pledged to build a stronger and more vibrant statistical system that would ensure the country’s economic development.

Introducing strong strategies to guide growth, NBS said at a two-day Southern State Stakeholder Workshop on “Developing a National Strategy for Stage 3 Statistical Development” held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. declared that it is essential. and the development of reliable data that the country can rely on.

“Over the past few months, the NBS, in line with its role and position as the coordinator of Nigeria’s statistical system, has been vigorously engaged in the process of developing a new National Strategy for Statistical Development (NSDS) in Nigeria. ” said Adeyemi Adeniran, the Federation’s Director of Statistics, at the workshop.

“Statistics are often hailed as the ‘silent language of governance’ and form the basis of informed and prosperous societies. They guide policy formulation, resource allocation and evaluation of progress. .

“As we convene today for this important task, let us recognize that statistics are more than just numbers. and pave the way to a brighter future,” he said.

Mr. Adeniran continued: “The accuracy and quality of our statistics is of paramount importance. We continually strive for excellence in data collection, analysis and dissemination to maintain the trust of data users and policy makers. You have to make an effort.

“The quality of output, the soundness of methodologies and processes, and the robustness of data sources are critical and require close attention under this new strategy. We will continue to work together to build a stronger, more vibrant statistical system with the capacity and sufficient resources to generate data and facilitate its use.

“In doing so, we will fulfill our mission and contribute to a data-driven, progressive and economically viable Nigeria that works for the benefit of all its citizens,” Adeniran said.

However, stakeholders say it is essential to modernize state and national statistical systems to reflect internationally recognized frameworks, especially in light of the posers who tracked the data released by the NBS. I have an opinion.

The latest in the series is the release of the country’s unemployment rate, which shows that despite a visible increase in unemployment in the second quarter of 2023, the unemployment rate is decreasing.

This was seen as an attempt to manipulate the unemployment rate to cover up the state’s failure to meet its responsibilities to the economy and Nigerians.

The figures released by the NBS show a significant drop from the 33.3% in Q4 2020 announced in March 2021, and Nigeria now has an unemployment rate of 3.4%, comparable to the United States and the United Kingdom (4.2%). It suggests that there is. Very high poverty rate.

The department said in regional languages ​​that the idea that anyone who earns N1,000 a week is employed is against the old method of classifying unemployed people as those of working age who work less than 20 hours or are not working. I was using , but I searched and searched. were available during the reference week (the week in which NBS conducts the survey).

Under the new NBS methodology, people are considered unemployed if they have not worked in the past seven days, have been looking for work in the past four weeks, and are ready to start work.

This means that some people who were previously classified as unemployed are now classified as employed. That’s because under the new method, you don’t have to work at least 20 hours a week to be considered employed.

As a result, people who work in the informal sector or who can only find part-time work are now classified as employed.
As expected, this development received significant criticism and led to proposals to further avoid what appeared to be political influence on the department.

Former Director-General of Statistics, Dr. Yemi Kale, condemned the replication method adopted by the current Director-General of Statistics, Mr. Adeniran, saying that Mr. Adeniran resisted attempts to adopt the same method during his tenure.

He said he rejected the changes because the way the country collects unemployment data is inconsistent with the system the country operates.
Reacting to unemployment data released on his watch, Mr. Kale said that while he was with the NBS, the committee responsible for reviewing the minimum hours of work that counts as employment announced that within an hour the He said that he felt that one hour was meaningless because of the amount of time that would occur. That time frame wasn’t necessarily something to live up to.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration forced him to release false economic statistics, but he refused. These revelations called into question the reliability and completeness of the numbers churned out by government agencies.

Questions also arose about the need to protect the independence and data integrity of the NBS through a legal framework. However, Adeniran, the Director-General of Statistics and Chief Executive Officer of NBS, while defending the figures, admitted that there was nothing wrong with the new methodology.

He explained: “I’m not saying it went down from 33.3 percent to 4.1 percent, because if I were to say that, that would mean there was some improvement in the economy by absorbing people who brought down the unemployment rate.” Not though.

“Previously, the working age population was between 15 and 64, but only Nigeria and maybe one or two other countries used it. But Ghana, Togo, Benin Neighboring countries such as the Republic of Cameroon all do not use it. This is an old standard set by the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention, to which Nigeria is also a party.

“We have come to terms with the reality that people continue to work and contribute significantly to national economies past the age of 64. So we got together and said, “We can’t sustain this anymore.”

He said about 26 other African countries had already adopted the new methodology, arguing that Nigeria was lagging behind even in its adoption.

He said it’s currently available for ages 15 and up. He said the calculation is based on a suitably qualified and willing workforce and sectors that need to be encouraged to take on more people.

“Labor is calculated by taking into account employees who have worked one hour plus for pay or benefits in the past seven days.

“It takes into account not only employed people who are temporarily absent, but also unemployed people who have jobs and are looking for work.” They say that a law should be enacted to inquire about employees and impose sanctions if they are found guilty.

He also suggested that there should be a national awareness campaign about the negative impact of statistical fraud on planning and development. Mr. Ikpe said the proposed law must prohibit the falsification or alteration of statistics by the Director-General of Statistics and statistical staff, with corresponding sanctions to be imposed in case of violation.

Lawyer Joseph Akanu also reacted to the development, agreeing that the NBS Act needs to be amended to provide for sanctions for proven violations.

According to him, the NBS should be given more autonomy to ensure that the appointment of its staff is more public-driven, transparent, competent and honest.

He suggested that “the Statistics Act 2007 should be recalibrated to address more issues that could give better autonomy to statistical offices.”
Ekemba Felix, an Abuja-based lawyer, echoed similar sentiments, saying that the National Assembly should amend the Statistics Act 2007 to impose harsher penalties on NBS officials who provide large numbers of dubious statistics to the public. Stated.

Mr. Felix said such amendments would deter NBS officials from trying to beat the system and make them understand that pandering to the whims of the political class in the performance of their duties risks being convicted and jailed. I believe it will happen.

Similarly, lawyer Paul Mbeoma, who agreed with the idea of ​​legislative deterrence, stressed the need for accurate statistics to help the government formulate appropriate policies. He therefore called for the Department to be adequately funded.

Interestingly, the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on National Planning and Economic Development, Eze Emeka Kenneth and his colleague, Mr. Ibrahim Isiaka, have expressed their readiness for the National Assembly to quickly amend the NBS establishment law to give it autonomy. It was announced that there is. It’s worth it.

Their counterparts in the Senate also echoed this idea and pledged support for the removal of all factors that impede the smooth running of the Bureau. They spoke at the National Stakeholder Workshop on the Development of a National Strategy for Statistical Development (NSDS) Phase III 2023-2028. NBS organized in Abuja.

Source: guardian.ng