Nigeria needs data harmonization strategy for development- NBS director

An official of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr Isiaka Olarewaju, has said that Nigeria would need data harmonization strategy to achieve even development.

Olarewaju, a director in charge of the real sector and household statistics, NBS, made this disclosure in an interview with journalists on Monday in Abuja, adding that the bureau had advanced in its mandate of gathering and processing data but still had a problem of getting data from relevant agencies.

“To the best of my knowledge, our problem is not handling big volume of data; It is about the harmonization of the data gathered,” he said.

According to him, NBS will not be able to release the social statistics bulletin except all agencies supplying the data release the data, as it applies to their own operations.

“For instance, if we have to publish a statistical book for a particular year, every relevant statistical agency has its own input to give us the data for that particular reference period. “If only one of them is defaulting, the data will not be released at the right time.

“So, we need to have a kind of harmonization strategy, whereby at the press of a button, you get relevant data from relevant agencies,’’ the official said

He explained that harmonization of data collation and collection is the bane of repositioning data capturing, noting that the bureau had been repositioned for data revolution and to handle big volume of data.

“We can handle big volume of data; we have even gone to the stage of using electronic means of collecting data from households. Already, right from the field, it is being transmitted online from the data collecting point to the national data processing center, which does not take time to analyze,’’ he said.

He disclosed that the bureau had been carrying economic and social surveys, using the latest statistical methodology, stressing that the bureau was currently working on some surveys such as Human Development Index and Labour Force Survey.

“Labour Force Survey is used to determine the unemployment rate and the distribution of employed persons. It is used to measure distribution of the employed so that the country can look at the gap and see which sector will demand intervention when it comes to employment opportunity.