AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Kwara State Governor, has stated that the ongoing investments in the Gross Domestic Product compilation would aid proper planning in the state.
He disclosed this when the delegation from the National Bureau of Statistics paid a courtesy visit to the Government House, Ilorin, the state capital, on Sunday.
AbdulRazaq, who was spoke for by Sa’adu Salau, the Senior Advisor and Counsellor, stated that the administration has put in place measures to ensure that its programmes and policies are data-driven.
“I have no doubt that the present federal and state governments follow your data in various policies. It is on record that the present administration’s programmes and policies are data-driven. We have put in place a lot of measures to ensure that our policies are informed by data. That is why we are investing in measures to generate accurate data to drive policies in the state
“Before this administration came into power in 2019, many industries had disappeared. But, the administration has taken a number of measures to ensure that poverty is addressed. This led to the establishment of the Kwara State Social Investment Programme to address different dimensions of poverty for market women/traders, entrepreneurs, the aged, etc. A lot of young entrepreneurs have benefitted from the scheme to address unemployment,” the governor said.
He acknowledged the roles of the NBS in data gathering and management for effective planning and national development.
The governor said, “We are all aware of the immense benefits of the National Bureau of Statistics and its critical role in the measurement of indicators of the Nigerian economy. No matter what you talk about, as policymakers, as governments, and as leaders, you must make sure that decisions and policies are informed by accurate data. This is what this exercise will do for us,” he said.
“It is a common saying that he who fails to plan plans to fail. So, there is no way you can talk of proper planning without accurate data. To have accurate data, you must invest because data is not cheap to come by. It is capital intensive. You must follow the due process to ensure diligence. Once one of the processes is compromised, stakeholders will not rely on the data. Governments at all levels and private sector rely on data from the National Bureau of Statistics for planning for development.”
Also speaking, Ibrahim Tanko, the NBS delegation Team Lead, said Kwara was now joining the structured states in Nigeria with its investments in the GDP compilation from 2013 to 2022.
“Kwara State is now joining the structured states in Nigeria. I will say congratulations to Kwara State for joining that league. So many states have compiled their GDPs from 2015 to 2022.
“The National Bureau of Statistics is a collaborative agency. The keyword for the National Bureau of Statistics in 2024 is collaboration. Our doors are open to the states and national agencies as far as statistics is concerned,” he added.
Tanko assured Kwara that the NBS would deploy human resources and other mechanisms for effective collaboration to ensure the success of the exercise.
“We are very much open at the National Bureau of Statistics to providing human resources and collaborating with state statistical agencies. Over the years, we have opened our hands and allowed state statistical agencies to own this mechanism for the compilation of GDP.
“Kwara State Bureau of Statistics should know the companies that operate in the state, be in direct contact with them, and own the exercise. With that, the human capital in the State Bureau of Statistics will be built upon. Moving forward, we shall work with the agency,” he added.
