President Bola Tinubu has said the absence of comprehensive data is one major factor stagnating Nigeria’s growth and Africa at large.
Tinubu who was represented by the Vice President, Kashim Shetima, said this at the Comptroller -General of Custom, CGC, 2023 conference on Thursday in Lagos.
In the conference titled” Leveraging Data Analytics for Secure and Efficient Trade Facilitation in Customs Operations”, President Tinubu argued that the inadequacy of data had affected the ability of Nigeria to make informed decisions.
He added that the country had been hindered by the fourth industrial revolution.
“Every part of the world is at the mercy of data and everyday we are reminded of the expanding volume of data upon which our divisions must be rooted.
“Data is the life guiding the ever-evolving landscape of our modern world. It is this realisation that sounds the invaluable goal of this century that prompted Tinubu’s strategic placement of tech savvy in Nigerians critical positions in the government.
“These appointments ensures not only strategic planning but also the cultivation of Nigeria as a hub of refined minds in the global knowledge economy.
“We must not only commit to deploying data to make decisions within the government, but to address the historical inadequacies of Nigeria policy making often impeded by lack of comprehensive data,” he said.
Speaking further, he noted that the current governance landscape demands a transformative intervention and the solutions was what had brought everyone here together today.
“The integration of complex data to interpret the volumes of our transitions and interactions is even more needed in international trade because the dividends transcend to determination of revenues.
“Data provides the sharpest links for us to connect the dots. Even in establishing the security of our borders, we can easily determine the traffic of people and goods around a specific border and share indisputable information with other nations with just a punch on our computers”.