House of Representatives advances bill to modernize national statistical governance

The House of Representatives has moved forward with a bill seeking to reform the national statistical system by repealing the Statistics Act of 2007 and replacing it with updated governance provisions. The proposed law will strengthen institutional coordination, enhance data standards and introduce a clearer mandate for the National Bureau of Statistics.

Lawmakers emphasise that reliable data remains central to economic planning, investment forecasting, sectoral reforms and social policy design. The bill also seeks to improve data transparency, promote interoperability between federal and state data systems and boost Nigeria’s credibility in global statistical reporting. Development partners have commended the initiative, describing it as a long overdue step toward evidence driven policymaking.