I am truly honored, indeed humbled, to have been asked to give the 2019 Economics Department, Annual Public Lecture of the University of Lagos, an institution recognized for facilitating insightful discussions on a wide array of national and global issues. I consider it a privilege not only because of my professional responsibility as Statistician-General of the Federation/CEO of the National Bureau of Statistics, but also because of the eminent speakers that have stood at this podium in the past. As a student of economics myself, it affords me the rare opportunity to interact with my community and in the process support the growing efforts to improve development outcomes in Nigeria which the University of Lagos is known for.

Indeed, the academic community, has been one of our most prominent stakeholders at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) whether with respect to our efforts at improving the quality of official statistics or promoting the dissemination and use of data for economic research, policy analysis and decision-making. Members of the academic community have led our methodology review teams and facilitated training sessions for staff. One hopes that government agencies working closely with the academic and research community for the overall good of the nation will be the rule rather than the exception, and I would once more like to thank your members who have worked and supported us over the years.

Data source: National Bureau of Statistics

  Download Report    

---