Data collection ‘will soon’ get easy

The federal government is about resolving the difficulties in getting data related to Nigeria.

Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, who disclosed this in Abuja on Monday, announced that an inter-ministerial committee on harmonisation of data collection and evaluation had been created.

She said the committee would ensure that data is not duplicated by various government agencies.

The committee would be chaired by Yemi Kale, statistician general of the federation and director general of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

“The minister disclosed that the inter-ministerial committee would serve as the clearing-house and focal authority for ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government for data collection, authentication and publication,” a statement signed by Oluyinka Akintunde, special adviser to the minister, read.

“The committee would ensure national standards for data collection, evaluation and publication as well as regularly provide guidance to all MDAs and other stakeholders engage in data collection, analysis and publication for policy formulation, implementation and monitoring.”

Other members of the committee are Idris Ahmed, accountant general of the federation; Patience Oniha, director general of the Debt Management Office; Ben Akabueze, director general of Budget Office of the Federation, and representatives of the ministries of finance, budget and national planning, health, agriculture and rural development, labour and productivity, education, communication technology.

Others are representatives of the office of the secretary to the government of the federation, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, National Population Commission, Nigeria Police, and Nigerian governors’ forum.