Sokoto Govt Faults NBS Poverty Rating, Launches Own Survey

Sokoto State government has faulted the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report that ranked the state as having the highest poverty rate in Nigeria, describing the bureau’s methodology as insufficient.

The commissioner for Budget and Economic Development, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad Zayyanu, stated this while addressing journalists at a workshop organised in collaboration with UNICEF, the European Union (EU) and other development partners in Sokoto.

The commissioner noted that the NBS survey was conducted in 2022 and argued that it does not reflect the current realities in the state.

“I raised this issue in Lagos and queried the NBS for conducting that particular survey. The methodology used was not sufficient to make general findings on the poverty level in Sokoto State,” Zayyanu said.

He revealed that the state government, in partnership with a consulting firm, Red Wire, has conducted a new survey to assess changes in poverty levels since 2022.

“With the approval of the state governor, we decided to carry out a fresh survey because he was concerned about the NBS report. We are now analyzing the data to determine if there has been any significant change,” Zayyanu explained, adding that preliminary findings already indicate some positive results.

He assured that the government would share its final findings with the public once the analysis is complete.

Zayyanu also recalled attending last month’s National Economic Council, NEC, meeting chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, where a World Bank-supported development programme was introduced. The initiative aims to assess population, economic activities, and potential at the ward level across Nigeria’s 886 wards.

“Our governor is already adopting a bottom-up approach. We have started gathering information from the ward level to provide data-driven solutions to poverty,” Zayyanu said.