In a bid to enhance effective policy formulation through data collection and processing, the Ogun State Bureau of Statistics has organised a day training session for staffers as a step towards digitalising and centralizing the State Administrative Statistics system.

 The State Statistician General, Mr. Michael Ajayi, disclosed this at the training workshop with the themed: ‘Developing an integrated system of administrative Statistics (ISAS) for managing Sector Statistics in Ogun State’. at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, saying the training was a critical milestone in the evolution of Ogun State's statistical system, emphasising the development of the Compendium of Statistical Terms and Concepts as an important element that would boost data-driven governance. He said the training would focus on stakeholder to onboard for e-services for the System of Administrative Statistics in Ogun State.

A statistical Reform Specialist, Dr. Abiodun Adeeko, highlighted the significance of the onboarding session in strengthening the State's statistical architecture, emphasising that the Compendium of Statistical Terms and Concepts was crucial for a functional State Administrative Statistics system.

Speaking, a facilitator at the onboarding session, Professor Vincent Akinsoye, said that administrative statistics was crucial source of official data, vital for informed decision-making, explaining that these statistics were gathered through routine activities within the State's public service.

Prof. Akinsoye noted that a well-managed system could be instrumental in identifying social problems, formulating policies, mitigating programme risks, monitoring policy implementation, and evaluating policy outcomes, highlighting challenges such as fragmented collection methods, manual generation and processing procedures, and data duplication that often lead to under utilisation of data sets.

He opined that an integrated system of administrative data statistics, if well-initiated, could help build a modern framework for managing administrative statistics across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and Local Government Councils in Ogun State.

Reacting, two of the participants, from "E" Services Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Titilayo Kadiri and from Bureau of Statistics Mrs. Lara Adebayo, commended the organisers for an enlightening and impactful training session.