Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue on Tuesday urged stakeholders to collate correct data which will enable Governments take key decisions for improved governance.
Ortom made the call while declaring open a “One-Day Stakeholders Dialogue” to mark World Statistics Day, which was organized by the Benue State Government in partnership with Enuice Spring of Life Foundation (ESLF) in Makurdi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was the third world statistics day cerebration themed: “Connecting The World With Data We Can Trust”.
Represented by his commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mrs Ngunan Adingi, the governor admitted that Government can not do much without correct data.
“We need correct data to take certain decisions that will improve the general wellbeing of the people. We need to stop working on assumptions but facts”.
In her remarks, presented by the General Manager, BERWASSA, Mrs Torkwase Ikyator, the wife of the governor, Mrs Eunice Ortom, said consistent and reliable data were indicators of every country’s progress in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of key Government decisions.
She said the theme of the 2020 World Statistics Day reflected the importance of trust, authoritative data, innovation and the public good in National Statistics Systems.
“We are celebrating today to acknowledge the importance of timely, consistent and reliable data and other statistical indicators of a country’s progress in formulating, implementing and monitoring the key policy decisions taken by a government.”
“This memorable day, statisticians work to define global key messages and to make the various resources accessible to all the partner countries, through its official website,” she said.
Earlier, in his presentation, tilted “a reflection on statistical thinking in Nigeria”, Mr Jonathan Ikughur, Head, Department of Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Science, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, said Nigeria needs statistical information to make complex decisions.
Ikughur said planning has overtime become a permanent part of major government decision making for the integration of the entire exercise necessitated by highly organized and well-developed statistical system, without which a planned economy is unthinkable.
“To get out of the vicious cycle of where we have found ourselves, we need to go back to the drawing board. If only we recognize statistical thinking as a sound analytical way of doing things encompassing appropriateness, accountability, justice and whose impact cannot be undermined, there would be no room for failure.
“We need to learn from our contemporaries such as India, China, Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore, among nations, that have embraced statistical thinking so that we can have a turn around. We cannot continue to teach statistics in schools and graduating manpower that do not see its value in the system.
“We cannot continue graduating statisticians that end up being clerks or cashiers. We cannot continue to operate as a state without a statistical regulatory body. We cannot continue to plan without reliable data. We cannot continue to fail.”
In his welcome address, the Principal Special Assistant (PSA) to the governor on Statistics, Mr Kumafan Dzaan, said the State needs a statistics that it can trust for effective implementation of government policies. (NAN)
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