ABUJA, Nigeria—Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has announced a new collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to leverage INEC’s extensive infrastructure for broader public benefit. The partnership was unveiled during a courtesy call from the Statistician-General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adeniran.
In his address, Professor Yakubu highlighted that while INEC holds the largest database of adult citizens for elections, the NBS coordinates the largest official database on all aspects of Nigerian national life. He noted that the new partnership, a first between the two agencies, is a strategic move to maximize the use of INEC’s network of offices and polling centres beyond the electoral cycle.
Professor Yakubu referenced a previous partnership with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, where INEC’s vehicles were used for public health efforts. He stated that the collaboration with the NBS is in a similar spirit of serving the nation, while maintaining the Commission’s independence.
A key point of discussion was the state of public facilities used as polling units and collation centres, many of which are schools. The INEC Chairman urged the NBS to include the lack of electricity, water, and accessibility for people with disabilities in their statistics and to engage with constitutional bodies like the National Economic Council to address these issues.
The chairman welcomed the partnership, emphasizing INEC’s commitment to working with national institutions to strengthen electoral processes and, by extension, the broader democratic fabric of Nigeria.
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