Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, Monday, stated that Nigeria will not attain its target of a $1 trillion economy if it does not have credible and reliable statistical data.
He stated this while opening a public hearing on “A bill for an Act to repeal the Statistics Act. No.9, 2007 and Enact Statistics Bill, 2025 to enhance the responsiveness, relevance and effectiveness of the National Statistical System in the Digital Era, establish and improved funding mechanism, and strengthen the system to promote global competitiveness in statistical development at all levels of government and for related matters in Abuja.
According to him, “To plan without accurate data is to build a house on quicksand. For Nigeria to achieve its goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy, every policy decision, budget allocation, and infrastructural investment must be guided by data that is accurate, timely, and beyond reproach.
“It is universally acknowledged that no nation can achieve meaningful development without reliable, timely, and credible statistical data. Statistics constitute the absolute foundation upon which governments formulate policies, allocate resources, measure progress, monitor implementation, and evaluate outcomes. In the absence of dependable data, governance becomes speculative rather than evidence-based”, he submitted.
Abbas, who was represented by the House Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, stressed that “We need a system that inspires absolute trust, whether an investor looks at our numbers in Abuja, London, or New York. We need a framework that aggressively eliminates the duplication of data efforts across government institutions, saving taxpayers billions of Naira. This is the core purpose of this hearing.
“The future of effective governance in Nigeria depends substantially on the quality of information available to policymakers. By strengthening our statistical system today, we are laying a solid foundation for better governance, improved economic management, enhanced public trust, and sustainable national development tomorrow”.
On the bill, the speaker explained that the Statistics Bill, 2025, is not a minor amendment; it is a complete structural overhaul. “We are here to repeal the outdated 2007 framework and enact a modern, globally competitive Bureau of Statistics and a Statistical System capable of meeting the demands of the 21st century.
“It is in pursuit of this objective that the Statistics Bill, 2025, has been brought before the National Assembly. The Bill has progressed steadily through the legislative process—from first reading to second reading—and we have now arrived at this vital stage of a public hearing.
“The Statistics Bill, 2025 therefore seeks to modernise our statistical architecture by enhancing the efficiency, relevance, responsiveness, and effectiveness of official statistics in Nigeria. It aims to strengthen coordination among statistical agencies; create a unified, consistent, and actionable view of data across disparate systems; and produce high-frequency, highly granular official statistics while drastically reducing public costs and survey fatigue. Furthermore, it will improve data quality assurance mechanisms, promote digital data collection and dissemination systems, and establish sustainable funding arrangements for the Bureau.
“This legislative initiative reflects global best practices and aligns with the emerging realities of the digital age, where data has become one of the most valuable assets for national development.
“Recall that eighteen years ago, this nation passed the Statistics Act of 2007. At the time, it was a progressive piece of legislation. But let us be candid: the year 2007 belongs to a completely different technological and economic era. It was a time when cloud computing was in its infancy, big data was merely a buzzword, artificial intelligence was confined to science fiction, and the gig economy did not even exist. Today, we live in a fast-evolving digital age where data is generated at a velocity, veracity, volume, and variety never seen before.
While welcoming the participants to the event, Chairman of the House Committee on National Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Adegboyega Isiaka, noted that every successful nation is built on a foundation of reliable information.
He reiterated that “Governments can only plan effectively when they understand the realities confronting their citizens. Investors can only commit resources when they have confidence in available economic data”.
Isiaka argued that “Development partners can only support national priorities when there are credible indicators to measure progress. Indeed, it is now said that data has become the currency of sustainable development in the modern world, and statistics the compass that guides national development.
“While NBS have done a lot within the limits imposed by the existing law, which had been in use since 2007, the House of Representatives have found the need for a review that takes into account the requirements of the 21st Century, characterised by big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial technologies, real-time information systems, and rapidly evolving data ecosystems”, he stated.
