INEC and NBS form partnership for data synergy.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed its willingness to work with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to improve data collection, management, and use for the benefit of Nigerians.

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Commission, made this assurance when he received the Federation’s Statistician-General, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, and his management team during a courtesy visit to the INEC Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

Prof. Yakubu described the first meeting between the two agencies as an important step toward leveraging institutional strengths for national development.

He pointed out that INEC, which is protected by law and complies with the National Data Protection Act, maintains the largest database of adult citizens for elections, while NBS oversees the country’s largest official database on all facets of national life.

He stated that the main focus of today’s meeting is on how NBS can use the Commission’s network of locations for electoral services to benefit citizens outside of elections, which only take place every four years or as needed.

“Within the parameters of the law and without sacrificing our independence, we are always willing to collaborate with national agencies.”

When INEC deployed its vehicles to support infection prevention and surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission provided assistance to national agencies, as the INEC Chairman recalled. He clarified that comparable collaboration with NBS would guarantee that electoral facilities serve broader societal objectives.

Additionally, Prof. Yakubu urged the Bureau to include in its national reports the condition of public facilities used as polling places and ward collation centers, particularly with regard to water, electricity, and accessibility for people with disabilities.

“Allocate the much-heralded benefits of democracy to these establishments, which educate our children at the foundation and intermediate levels of the educational system,” he stated.

The INEC Chairman also urged interested parties to investigate INEC’s Electoral Facilities Locator (EFLoc) and Atlas of Electoral Constituencies, which are both accessible on the Commission’s website and serve as trustworthy tools for mapping electoral infrastructure throughout the nation.

Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, the Statistician-General of the Federation, had earlier praised INEC’s hard work and openness in overseeing Nigeria’s election process, calling the Commission essential to the country’s democracy.

Explaining that NBS not only generates data but also manages the entire National Statistical System, which consists of state bureaus of statistics, governmental organizations, and academic institutions, he underlined the crucial role statistics play in governance.