By; FUNMI OROYE ADERINTO, Kaduna.
Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai of Kaduna State, on Wednesday, said his government will ensure that a holistic reform is achieved in the statistical system.
He expressed this during the event of “Driving the Data Revolution, unveiling the Kaduna State Bureau of Statistics”, road map publication and website, he was represented by his Deputy Architect Barnabas Bala Bantex, in Kaduna.
He said, in the midst a representative sample of the statistical community in this country can use their professionalism to guild their policies and as actions that will actualize the change mandate upon the government in Kaduna and in indeed the entire nation elected.
According to him, Kaduna state embraced quality statistics as a basis for providing good information and guide to a sure ways of beating the faith to a good governance.
He explained that, his government is in quest to make Kaduna state great in the continuous implementing structural and institutional reorganization which aims at facilitating socio-economic development with adequate resources intervention.
He further said, the law establishing the Bureau, the Kaduna statistical system is entrusted to the commissioner, planning and budget commission, the state statistician general and the state.
He stressed the need for a “data revolution” which was first expressed by the United Nations to advise on the Global Development Agenda after the 2015 MDGs.
He said, a true data revolution would drawn on existing and new sources of data to fully integrate statistics into decision making, promote open access to and use of data and ensure increased support for statistical system.
He disclosed that, their government mandated Kaduna State Bureau of statistics to take a lead in initiating a data revolution within Kaduna state, this involve the collation and verification of existing data sources, collaboration with MDGs to improve and harmonize administrative data collection the generation if new primary data from targeted surveys.
The governor said, his government was able to provide funds to the bureau for seven surveys and censuses, seven collaborative surveys with MDGs and one collaborative survey with NGOs.
He assured their continuous commitment to the strengthening of the statistical system to enable it cope with challenges ahead and ready to partner with sincere and genuine organizations that share its vision of developing Kaduna state.
In a remark, the Statistician General of Federation, Dr Yemi Kale, noted that Kaduna state unveiling data base and website is the best among the 36 states in the country.
He said Kaduna state is focusing on the important of data and seeking and finding solutions
He added that the state’s Bureau of Statistics is undoubtedly the best in the federation and worthy of emulation by other states.
