From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The Federal Government, yesterday, promised to remove the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) from the envelope system of the budget because of its importance in the development of the country.
The envelope system is a way of breaking down monthly expenses, savings, and debt repayments into categories.
The chairman of House Committee on National Planning and Economic Development, Ibrahim Isiaka, made the promise at a workshop on National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) phase III, 2024–2028 in Abuja.
He said the National Assembly would continue to play its crucial role in the development of statistics in Nigeria by providing legislative support, ensuring adequate funding and resources, promoting accountability and transparency, supporting capacity building initiatives and advocating for the use of statistical data in decision -making processes.
To this effect, he sought for collaborative work towards a more inclusive, transparent and effective statistical system that will drive Nigeria’s progress and prosperity in the years to come.
In his keynote address, the Statistician General of the Federation (SG), Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, emphasised the crucial nature of the document to be validated by the stakeholders and said that it’s a guide for the development of statistical programmes and activities in the country at the national level.
“The NSDS is a crucial document that outlines the strategic direction for the development of statistics in Nigeria over the next five years. It serves as a guide for the development of statistical programmes and activities in the country. The NSDS aims to enhance the production, dissemination, and use of high-quality statistics to support evidence-based decision-making in all sectors of the economy.
“As you all would have carefully noted, the development of this round of the NSDS is different from all the previous rounds. In planning for the development of this round, we ensured that the process was inclusive and ambitious yet realistic, considering the evolution of the data ecosystem and our vision of being the foremost statistical system in Africa,” he said.
“This workshop is a significant milestone in the development process of the NSDS as it provides an opportunity to review and provide feedback on the draft NSDS document.”
“Your valuable inputs and comments will be carefully considered and incorporated into the final version of the NSDS. This will help us develop a document that is reflective of all stakeholders’ views, more robust and inclusive.
“Again, unlike the other previous strategy documents, we intend to follow through with the implementation of this strategy document. There is a monitoring and evaluation mechanism embedded in the new strategy plan which we intend to operationalize during the implementation period. This is to ensure that we do not just produce a document and leave it on the shelf but one that is practical and can drive the development of statistics in Nigeria over the next five years” he said. ENDS