By Anthony Adgidzi,
Lafia
The plan is under way by the Nasarawa State Government to conduct a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) survey on Gross Domestic Products (GDP) before the end of this year, 2024.
This is just as the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, has expressed its willingness to partner the State Bureau of Statistics (NSBS), in the areas of research and training for the overall benefit of the people of the state.
Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim, the Statistician General of the NSBS, made the disclosure, while playing host to the Director Linkages and International Corporation of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Assoc. Professor K’tso Nghargbu, in Lafia.
Nghargbu, was in the office of the state Statistician General, to congratulate him on his appointment and to enter an agreement of partnership with the bureau for sustainable development.
The Statistician General said, the state bureau will soon be collaborating with the National Bureau of Statistics to embark on the exercise.
“We are going to launch an SDGs survey on the state GDP. This is the first ever survey in the state to be conducted, so that the state will have a direction, will know what is earning, because now, as Nasarawa State is blind in yhe area of statistical records.”
Dr. Ibrahim emphasized that, by the time the GDP survey is conducted successfully, the state will be able to know what it can do, what it can earn on weekly, monthly and yearly.
He mentioned supply of statistics, users and policy formulators, suppliers of statistics snd research and training, are some of the elements of statistical system in operation.
He said, as a agency of government, they are ready to collaborate with the Nasarawa State University in the areas of research and training for the progress of the state.
Assoc. Professor K’tso Nghargbu, the Director Linkages and International Corporation, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, commended Governor Abdullahi Sule, for appointing an erudite scholar for the job.
Nghargbu said, the academic community in the state are happy with the establishment of the Bureau of Statistics.
“Academic and scholars strive on statistics. We can write nothing, we can do nothing without statistics.
“It was a sort of stepping down a work that hitherto was hanging there at the National level. Many a time, we have gone to NBS, looking for one data or another.
The Director Linkages and International Corporation, gave an instance where the former Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, during her tour of duty to the state, sought to access data on tourism at the NBS, Abuja.
“This is just underscores the import of what you are doing beyond Nigeria. If somebody from Europe will be looking for produce of your work, if we step down the work, it will become more detail, more enhance and more accessable.”
The university don, then commended the Bureau’s synergy with the NBS, to help citizens, students, researchers, scholars and other interested persons, to gain access to statistical data in the State.
He, however advocated the establishment of similar office in other states, to reduce the burden of traveling to NBS headquarters, Abuja, as such will make life easy for those who want to access data.
“As a purely teaching, research and training institution, we cannot do without you”, hence the university’s intention to collaborate with the Bureau, he added.
“We too have data, information and as a leaning institution will always be respository of certain kind of information and learning outcomes.
“I think such a partnership will benefit us in both ways.
Nghargbu, was optimistic that, the bureau has the capacity to guide it students and lecturers with necessary tools for more problem solving research, whereas the institution can provide the bureau with the number of students, faculties, PhDs produced in the last 10 years among others.
He commended the Bureau for been proactive, and hope that it request for partnership will be granted.
The Nasarawa State Coordinator of NBS, who was represented by Aliyu Bashir Maigoro, expressed happiness for the establishment of the Bureau and pledged NBS readiness to partner all stakeholders to achieve the desired result.
According to Maigoro, as a top data banking keepers, “we will accord the State Bureau of Statistics all the needed support to succeed in it mandate and to ensure the state has it own data base.”
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