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Udoma inaugurates NBS governing board, calls for dedication to duty

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The 15-member governing board of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has been inaugurated in Abuja by the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma.

During the inauguration on Thursday, the minister charged the new board to work in harmony with the management of the bureau to achieve its goals, especially considering the important role that the NBS plays in nation building.

According to his Special Adviser, Media and Communication, Mr. Akpandem James, the minister pointed out that the roles and responsibilities of the governing boards of parastatals and agencies as provided in their respective establishment acts were quite distinct from the day-to-day administration of parastatals and agencies under the leadership of chief executives who double as accounting officers.

The minister stated that strict adherence to statutory provisions by both parties would enhance harmonious relationship devoid of bickering and other unhealthy occurrences.

The NBS is one of the three parastatals under the ministry.

The other two are the National Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER) and the Centre for Management Development (CMD).

The governing boards of the two institutions were inaugurated on March 8, 2018.

It would be recalled that last year, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the constitution of the boards of some federal government agencies/parastatals to provide proper governance and oversight structure for them as well as drive general policy formulation  for the implementation of their management teams.

While the boards of other parastatals were immediately inaugurated, that of NBS, which requires Senate confirmation, was postponed to await that confirmation.

The approval was obtained recently.

The minister explained that the NBS was the government agency charged with the responsibility for data generation and dissemination in Nigeria.

“The agency facilitates sectoral development in updating, monitoring Nigeria’s socio-economic indicators and advises the government as well as relevant stakeholders including the public and private sectors on our social rankings, etc. Considering the important role the NBS plays in nation building, the need for a supportive Governing Board cannot be over-emphasised.”

He emphasized that the appointment of the Board members is on part-time basis.

“You are required to work with the management of the NBS to, inter alia, determine its mission and long-term strategy roles and responsibilities and develop strategies to promote sustainable and cost-efficient activities of the Bureau.”

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Ernest Umakhihe, congratulated the members on their appointment, noting that the eventual inauguration had been long awaited since the boards of two other agencies supervised by the ministry had been done a year ago.

“We are all happy because it has come at this auspicious time.”

He urged them to be focused and selfless in the discharge of their duties, and should bear in mind that the assignment was a call to the service of their fatherland.

The Chairman of the Board, Dr Kabiru Nakaura, thanked the president for the appointment and appreciated the minister for the inauguration.

He pledged the willingness of the board to discharge its responsibilities creditably.

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