The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, has stated that Nigeria's ambition to build a $1 trillion economy will remain challenging without a robust, credible, and modern statistical system that provides accurate data for decision-making. He made this remark on Monday at a public hearing on the Statistics Bill, 2025, held at the National Assembly in Abuja.
The hearing marks the beginning of consultations by the National Assembly on proposed legislation aimed at overhauling Nigeria's statistical framework and replacing the nearly two-decade-old Statistics Act of 2007. The event was organized by the House Committee on National Planning and Economic Development and drew representatives from ministries, departments, agencies, researchers, civil society groups, and other stakeholders.
Reliable Statistics as Foundation for Governance
Represented by the House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, the speaker emphasized that reliable statistics are the cornerstone of effective governance, economic planning, and investment decisions. He warned, "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."
Details of the Proposed Legislation
The proposed law, titled "A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Statistics Act No. 9, 2007 and Enact the Statistics Bill, 2025," seeks to strengthen the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), improve coordination among data-producing agencies, enhance data quality assurance, institutionalize digital data collection, and provide a more sustainable funding framework for the country's statistical system.
Mr. Tajudeen noted that the existing law was enacted under circumstances that no longer reflect modern governance realities, stressing that technological advancements have transformed the role of data in policymaking and economic management. He pointed out that when the current legislation was introduced in 2007, technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, digital platforms, and big data analytics had not assumed the central role they now play in governance and development planning.
A Far-Reaching Reform
The speaker described the proposed legislation as a far-reaching reform rather than a routine amendment, designed to reposition Nigeria's statistical institutions to meet contemporary demands. He stressed that reliable data is indispensable for economic planning, poverty reduction initiatives, budget implementation, monitoring and evaluation of government programs, and tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
He further argued that a more coordinated statistical system would eliminate duplication among government agencies, reduce the burden of repeated surveys on citizens and businesses, and enhance confidence in official figures. "We need a system that inspires absolute trust, whether an investor looks at our numbers in Abuja, London, or New York," he added.
Global Context and Stakeholder Engagement
The bill is being considered at a time when countries worldwide are investing heavily in digital statistical infrastructure to support evidence-based policymaking and improve economic governance. Mr. Tajudeen said the proposed legislation seeks to address challenges by creating a more integrated national statistical system capable of producing timely, high-frequency, and disaggregated data while adhering to international standards of transparency and credibility.
He also reiterated the National Assembly's commitment to participatory lawmaking and called on stakeholders from government institutions, academia, civil society organizations, development partners, and the private sector to scrutinize the bill and offer recommendations. According to him, broad stakeholder engagement is essential to developing a legal framework that can respond not only to present challenges but also to emerging issues in data governance.
Current State of Nigeria's Statistical System
Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics remains the country's primary source of official socio-economic data, including inflation reports, unemployment figures, gross domestic product estimates, and household surveys. However, concerns have persisted over funding limitations, inconsistencies in data management, and weak coordination among institutions responsible for generating official statistics.
If enacted, the Statistics Bill, 2025, is expected to introduce the most extensive reforms to Nigeria's official statistical system since the current legal framework came into force in 2007.
