Abstract

The Nigerian Statistical System has experienced considerable development and improvement over the years. However, there is still much ground to cover if it would serve the government and people of Nigeria in the information age. This is of concern to all stakeholders, given that official statistics can foster democracy and accountability at all levels in government and the society at large, which will ensure that the people get maximum benefits of democracy. A key component of this Statistical System is the State Statistical Office (or State Bureau of Statistics), given that most of the data would be collected from activities of and in the institutional units domiciled or operating in the States. In this paper, we examine the role of SSOs in Nigeria as a critical success factor to the success of the National Statistical System, using Benue State as a case study. We make the case that the SSO holds a key to unlocking a significant part of the desired success of the Nigerian Statistical System, and we examine the role of relevant stakeholders in ensuring it reaches its full potential.