MIRIAM NNOLI 
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday held their first meeting to explore areas of collaboration, focusing on data sharing and the strategic use of public infrastructure to drive national development.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Statistician-General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adeniran, to the INEC headquarters in Abuja, the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, expressed enthusiasm over the new partnership.
Prof. Yakubu commended the NBS for coordinating what he described as “The largest official database on all aspects of national life in Nigeria.
He also emphasised INEC’s own critical role in maintaining the country’s most extensive database of adult citizens, used exclusively for electoral purposes and protected by law under the National Data Protection Act.
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The INEC chairman also called on the NBS to include data on the condition of public facilities, particularly primary and secondary schools used as polling units, in its periodic national surveys.
These schools, he said, often lack essential amenities such as electricity, water, and accessibility features for persons with disabilities, which affects both electoral processes and general public use.
In his remark, the Statistician-General expressed optimism about the partnership, noting that both institutions have crucial roles to play in strengthening governance through accurate data and reliable electoral processes.
Adeniran underscored the importance of collaboration with INEC in the validation of administrative statistics, stating, “A significant share of the data required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals will come from administrative sources, not surveys.
