Kwara State is now joining the structured states in Nigeria with its investments in the GDP compilation from 2013 to 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics has said.
“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,” Team Lead of the NBS delegation to Kwara, Ibrahim Yakubu Tanko said during a courtesy visit to Government House, Ilorin.
“We are representatives of the Statistician General of the Federation Prince Adeyemi Adeniran. He is also sending his best regards to Kwara.”
“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.”
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 states statistical agencies. Over the years, we have opened hands and allowed states 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.
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for his part, who was represented by Senior Advisor and Counsellor, Sa’adu Salau, acknowledged the roles of the NBS in data gathering and management for effective planning and national development.
“We are all aware of immense benefits of the National Bureau of Statistics and its critical roles in measurement of indicators of the Nigerian economy. No matter what you talk about, as policy makers, 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.”
AbdulRazaq noted 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 Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) to address different dimensions of poverty for market women/traders, entrepreneurs, and the aged etc. A lot of young entrepreneurs have benefitted from the scheme to address unemployment.”