The National Bureau of Statistics
The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS is the main National Agency responsible for the development and management of official statistics, the authoritative source and custodian of official statistics in Nigeria. The NBS was founded by the merger of the Federal Office of Statistics (FOS) and the National Data Bank (NDB). The creation was part of the implementation of the Statistical Master Plan (SMP), a programme document of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN). The merger was to give the agency a national outlook as the top statistical agency for all the three tiers of Government – Federal, State and Local Government.
The NBS constantly generates, on a continuous and sustainable basis, socio-economic statistics on all facets of development in Nigeria. They provide operational services in view of becoming the foremost and modern knowledge-based national statistical office in Africa and the world. The NBS’ statistical reports are usually accompanied by clear, informative infographic materials, and disseminated widely across all their service delivery channels.
The NBS publishes macro and microdata obtained from sample surveys, censuses, and administrative data collection systems. The dissemination of microdata is made necessary by high demand from the research community, a call for transparency, and sometimes by legal or contractual obligations. It is usually done in such a way that the confidentiality of the information provided by respondents is preserved. NBS adopt the international standards of releasing microdata in accordance with the International best practices of protecting personal data and confidentiality of data suppliers.
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The NBS coordinates Statistical Operations of the National Statistical System in the production of official statistics in all the Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), State Statistical Agencies (SSAs) and Local Government Councils (LGCs). Broadly, at the federal level, each Ministry, Department and Agency has Director of Statistics. Each state also has Director of Statistics and Head of Statistics Unit at the Local Government Areas. However, all these including the Statistical Institutes constitute the Nigeria National Statistical System (NSS).
The NBS has eight departments, which are Corporate Planning and Technical Coordination, Demographic and Social Statistics, Macro-Economic Statistics, Real Sector and Household Statistics, Field Services and Methodology, Finance and Accounts, Administration as well as Information and Communication Technology.
The governing board of the bureau consists of 15 members including six political members from each of the six geo-political zones of the country appointed by the president and approved by the Senate, and nine institutional members which includes the Minister of National Planning Commission, The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Education, the group Managing Director of NNPC, the President of Manufacturer Association of Nigeria or their respective representatives as well as the President of Nigeria Statistical Association, Statistician-General and Chief Executive of the NSO as the secretary.
The contributing bureaus where the National Bureau of Statistics get their information include The National Planning Commission, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Federal Ministry of Health, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Nigerian Embassies and High Commissions, Federal Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Get informed via the National Bureau of Statistics’ web platform at www.nigerianstat.gov.ng