Iloke Egbe
The Statistician General of the Federation, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran has commended the Governor, His Excellency Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu for his foresight in gender issues, that Cross River State stands out and very enviable in good governance and gender inclusion as can be seen in the number of women appointed at various strata of Government.
Mr. Adeniran disclosed this during his working visit to Cross River State aimed at advancing synergies between the Federal and the State Government given the importance of quality data in planning and implementation of policies and programmes.
The visit which held at the conference hall of the State Planning Commission, new Secretariat Complex Calabar had in attendance across section of members of the State Executive Council, Permanent Secretaries, Director General of Agencies and Boards, the academia, zonal officers from National Bureau of Statistics and Development Partners.
Speaking on the essence of the working visit, Mr. Adeniran informed that Nigeria has made significant achievements with her timely and frequent updates exercises which have made Nigeria data most contemporary globally.
He said, the multiple indicator cluster survey model collects data on social demographics and sometimes economic data on women and children, including adolescents and men in the household.
According to Adeniran, the ongoing survey is national and it's very important, in his words, "this survey is the only survey that has over 40 indicators that are contained in the Sustainable Development Goals, there are a lot of gains and indicators we are going to provide to the State" while soliciting the usual cooperation of the State.
He assured that the exercise is in conjunction with the State, the State is part of the process from inception to the end, the State will also validate her data sets before it is reported for public consumption, reiterating from training of personnel, development of instruments, presentation of data, analysis and validation, Staff of the State are included.
Earlier, the Governor, represented by the Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Cross River State Planning Commission. Pastor Dr. Bong Duke expressed excitement for the visit, stating that the visit of the Statistician General of the Federation is coming after two decades.
He acknowledged his efforts towards the development of National Data, stating that, the portal is getting better everyday, we have access to data, and the fact that you have paid so much attention to data, adding that, we can't go without data, therefore, the re-configuration and the new energy that are going into data development, data gathering, data storage and access in Nigeria is something that calls for commendation.
He spoke positively on the strides made to revive statistics, including the celebration of world statistics Day adding that, statistics have been institutionalized as a cadre in the State service thereby making it an enviable profession.
In her welcome remarks, the State Statistician General Mrs, Akedoh Okoi Edet informed that, Cross River State is particularly proud to have hosted the South–South zonal implementation of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, implemented by the National Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund. This important survey remains one of the most comprehensive sources of household data for monitoring the wellbeing of women and children.
That findings from the 2021 Nigeria MICS provide valuable insights into key development indicators across sectors such as health, education, nutrition, child protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene, adding that available data shows that primary school completion in Cross River State is estimated at about 93 percent, while lower secondary completion stands at approximately 82 percent, reflecting encouraging progress in access to basic education.
However, the survey also highlights areas that require sustained policy attention. Only about 51.7 percent of the population in the State have access to basic drinking water services, while basic sanitation coverage remains around 18 percent, underscoring the need for continued investments in WASH infrastructure and services.
According to Mrs Edet, these statistics remind us that data is not merely for reporting but a strategic instrument for governance. Reliable and timely statistics enable the government to identify development gaps, allocate resources efficiently, and monitor progress toward national and global development priorities, including the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Adding his voice, the UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Mr. Yojimmawork Ayalew informed that the quality of data coming out from Nigeria is very strong and makes the country very unique, adding that the ongoing survey is child centric which is a global standard survey and calls for the support of stakeholders.
While the Director General, CRS Primary Healthcare Development Agency Dr.Vivian Mesembe Otu expresses joy with the visit, that it demonstrates the readiness of the Statistician General to do the right thing. She also informed that at the PHCDA the use of quality, accurate and timely data is inevitable.
Others who also added their voices include the Commissioner Ministry of Women Affairs, Hon. Edema Erom, the Commissioner, Ministry of Health Dr Henry Egbe Ayuk, Commissioner for Social Welfare and Community Development Archbishop Prof. Margaret Ene-Ita who all agreed the approach of involving the State personnel is the best as data is central to planning and development.
While Prof. Mrs. Francis Obafemi, Prof. Lionel Effiom and Mrs Florence oluohu asked questions on varied issues around data metrics, the Statistician General and a representative from the State Economic Adviser took time to respond to all questions, supported by the zonal controller NBS Pastor Emmanuel Otuk.
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