We'll Do Everything Possible To Ensure That We Put In The Best For The Growth And Development Of Nigeria- Statistician General

Amo National Development Association (AMONDA) was on Saturday 23rd October held a thanksgiving and prayers service in honour of their illustrious sons and daughters of the community who have impacted positively for the growth and development of the community and its people, and who are also making the community proud.

The thanksgiving service and prayer programme was held at the Seventh Days Adventist Church Jengre of Bassa local government area of Plateau State amidst pomp and pageantry.

Answering questions from select Media Executives of the Age Newspaper, the NewsGate Magazine, the News Crest Newspaper, Frank News Magazine and the Emerald News Magazine respectively, the Statistician General of the Federation said in his capacity as the Statistician General, his administration will do everything possible in moving the nation's economy forward.

Hon. Elder Samuel Amos Timbau, the organiser and President of AMONDA said it is imparative of them to honour the sons and daughters of the community because of their zeal and commitment in moving the community forward. He added that " At this dispasation, we've never had it so good like this for some of our illustrious sons who were appointed in various positions and some are being promoted. This time around we discovered that about 10 to 15 of them are been promoted, some appointed and then some went to elective positions and won. For us to encourage them to do more, we decided to call and pray for them to encourage them to do more in service of their various organisations".

He equally enumerated the challenges of the programme to include "The challenges of this programme is that, this is the first time we're organising this kind of a program. Because in the history of the Association, nothing of such in nature has ever been conducted that's why it is coming to us a challenge because of the financial aspect of the program, how to gather people together and even how to convince people to come for such occasion. But to me from what we see today, it's a huge success because we limited the invitations so that we did not go beyond our financial limits. But people came from different corners just to come and witnessed and report back to their various destination". He said.

The Chief celebrant and who happens to be the Statisticiain General of the Federation while narrating his background, said "Well, I joined the Civil Service in 1992 after my NYSC in then Federal Office of Statistics. 

Since then, I've been rising up on the Rank and I've got to the level of a substantive Director in January 2019. After then, when the tenure of my predecessor was expiring in the month of August, Muhammadu Buhari the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, deemed it fit to appoint me to succeed him as the Statistician General of the Federation and the Chief Executive of National Bureau of Statistics. This is so far how I've progress as far as my career in the Civil Service is concern at the Federal level". He said. 

He expressed gratitude to AMONDA for finding them worthy and to honour them as well adding that, that will encourage them to do more for the community. He said: "when you are serving the government, you're serving the government not just by yourself but to serve humanity and I am somebody that grew up as a grassroot person and as such, i took time in interacting with my people at the grassroot and so the achievement that I make, I consider that as a milestone for me to reflect back and see how far I have used that achievement to impact on my people back home. So as much as possible, I used my position to see how I can support the growth and development of some other people behind us. By implications I'm serving humanity and I am invariably serving my creator, God. The recognition given to us today is like throwing a challenge to us that we need to do more and more of what we've done so far and by the grace of God, considering the vintage position that my organisation occupies in the management of the nation's economy, we'll do everything possible to ensure that we put in the best for the growth and development of Nigeria so that sooner than later, Nigeria will be seen to have join the committee of developed nation through effective planning process". He pointed out.

Asked about the economic challenges facing the nation, and what will his office and his capacity do to reduce such challenges facing the economy of the nation as a Statistician General, he said:

"My office carries out very special roles as far as the management of the nation's economy is concern. As we all know, the problem with the development of this country is because there has not been effective planning and even implementation of all the plans that were being put in place. NBS is saddled with the responsibility of producing statistics covering all spheres of human endeavour and as such, all the assumption guiding our planning process, all the asumption guiding the budgeting process in Nigeria, NBS provide all the data that will help government to do that. So we will do everything possible to ensure that we produce a robust and reliable statistical information particularly those that have to do with micro management of the economy. Indicators such as the unemployment rate, the Inflation rate, the poverty profile of the country, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Trade Statistics, the exchange rate as much as possible, we'll ensure that they are produced on timely basis to guide the process of planning design in Nigeria and as well as implementation in monitoring and evaluation of government progress on project so that Nigeria will begin to get it right because this is the only way that we can develop as a nation". He concluded.

Guest speaker at the event was Pastor Ezra Joshua Mallum, President, North East Nigeria Conference of the Seventh Days Adventist Church.

Songs and ministration came from the church choir to thrill the invited guests.

The eight celebrants prayed for include:

1)Dr Simon B. Harry, Statistician General of the Federation.

2)Prof.Shem Ishaku Binda of the University of Jos.

3)Mr Ruel Ishaku Auta, President of Nigeria Para-Powerlifting Federation of Nigeria.

4)Mrs Sarah Bali, former Chairman, Bassa LGC.

5)Dr Innocent Emmanuel, Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, Plateau State.

6) Prof Jael A. Yohanna of the University of Jos.

7)Pastor Yohanna U. Harry, President of the Northern Nigeria Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventist Church.

8)Elder Ephraim Silas Ashayi, Member of the Governing Council of Babcock University.