Stakeholders Review NBS Anti-corruption Data Template for Implementation

Stakeholders Review NBS Anti-corruption Data Template for Implementation

The Executive Secretary Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Mr. Isah Sadiq Radda, has explained that Nigeria is rated poorly in its anti-graft war as a result of lack of centralised data.

Radda disclosed this on Tuesday at a ‘Stakeholders Roundtable Review of Implementation of the NBS Anti-corruption Data Template’, organised by Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption and(PACAC),The British Council’s Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, and European Union (EU).

At the review, the stakeholders converged for assessment on the Anti-corruption data template designed by the NBS to enable centralised coordinated data system in Nigeria. This is in view that one of the expectation of the government and anti-corruption agencies is to have standard record that should capture basic facts accessible within and outside the country.

Speaking further, Radda stated that the centrality of records in the fight against corruption cannot be overemphasize as it assist in promoting a harmonious system of operation.

According to him “This is because there is need to standardise our effort and records in relations to work being done by Nigerian and foreign countries in trying to recover our loots and getting people repatriated amongst other things.

“It will enhance our efforts in accomplishing our objective, help in the easy access of data as people looking for data can access what has been done.”

He further disclosed that “because of this unavailability of data Nigeria has been rated poorly in the fight against corruption as there are no concise data to show for work done.”

Earlier, the Statistician General of the Federation Dr. Yemi Kale stressed the need for a central usable data as this will enhance the delivery of mandate.

Kale who was represented by the Director, Real Sector and Household Statistics Department, Mr. Adeniran Adeyemi, explained the different types of data available stating that “the NBS Anti-corruption data template falls under the purvey of system administration which is the cheapest and most sustainable requiring concerted efforts of stakeholders”.

Explaining further, he said “the major constraint is that administrative data usually cannot fit into the form statistical data is prepared as they are day to activities. To make use of it, it has to be extracted into required format and this was the basis on which the need for a data template was considered.”

In the same vein, the Rule of Law Adviser, Office of the Vice President, Ms. Fatima Waziri, noted the necessity of harmonising the template of all individual agencies of Anti corruption for a qualitative data which formed the conceptualisation.

According to Waziri, “this started in 2016 to develop an Anti-Corruption data to relatively get the buy-in of all relevant agencies which led to the conclusion that data and statistics are required to fight corruption in Nigeria”.

According to her, such parameters were outlined and a template was proposed and used which made it possible to determine the challenges and extent of work carried out.

Speaking, the Program Analyst, NBS, Mr. Lucky Ogidan, stated that the SDGs targets also stipulated the need for concise database that could be used to access the work.

Ogidan said that so far, donor countries and international agencies like UNODC have committed Nigeria into ensuring that this will be done effectively.

“As by mandate we have been coerced to use the data system and this will enable that Nigeria as a whole has a robust data surrounding corruption and corruption offences.

“And considering the electricity and network issues faced in Nigeria we ensured to use a web interface to develop the data template which requires all Anti Corruption Agencies to be online while reporting and considering the challenging power problem we develop a plan of ‘US sensor program application’ in a way the data is collated offline without internet services but be transferred to the NBS data base online,” he said.

By PRNigeria