Nigeria needs stronger data system to reach $1tn economy – Speaker Tajudeen
By Victor Idajili
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, says Nigeria cannot achieve its $1 trillion economy target without a modern, credible statistical system that provides accurate and timely data for planning.
Tajudeen stated this on Monday at a public hearing on the Statistics Bill, 2025, held at the National Assembly in Abuja. He was represented by House Leader Julius Ihonvbere.
The hearing is part of consultations by the National Assembly on a new law to overhaul Nigeria’s statistical framework and replace the Statistics Act of 2007, which is nearly two decades old. The House Committee on National Planning and Economic Development organised the session, with ministries, agencies, researchers, civil society groups and other stakeholders in attendance.
Tajudeen said reliable statistics are the bedrock of effective governance, economic planning and investment decisions.
“To plan without accurate data is to build a house on quicksand. For Nigeria to become a $1 trillion economy, every policy decision, budget allocation and infrastructure investment must be guided by data that is accurate, timely and beyond reproach,” he said.
The Statistics Bill, 2025 seeks to repeal the 2007 Act and introduce wide-ranging reforms. Key provisions include:
Strengthening the National Bureau of Statistics and improving coordination among all data-producing agencies.
Better data quality assurance and institutionalising digital data collection.
A more sustainable funding model for the country’s statistical system.
Tajudeen noted that the 2007 law was enacted before technologies like Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing and big data analytics became central to governance. He described the new bill as a major reform, not just an amendment, aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s statistical institutions for today’s demands.
He stressed that credible data is now critical for economic planning, poverty reduction, budget implementation, monitoring government programmes, and tracking progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
A coordinated system, he added, would eliminate duplication among agencies, reduce repeated surveys on citizens and businesses, and build trust in official figures.
“We need a system that inspires absolute trust, whether an investor looks at our numbers in Abuja, London or New York,” Tajudeen said.
The bill also aims to create a more integrated national statistical system that can produce high-frequency, disaggregated data in line with international standards of transparency.
Tajudeen reiterated the National Assembly’s commitment to participatory lawmaking and urged government institutions, academia, civil society, development partners and the private sector to review the bill and submit recommendations.
He said broad engagement is needed to build a legal framework that addresses current data challenges and prepares Nigeria for emerging issues in data governance.
If passed, the Statistics Bill, 2025 would be the most extensive reform of Nigeria’s official statistics system since the current law was enacted in 2007.
