By Hosea Parah, Abuja

The Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, has on Thursday launched the much-anticipated General Household Survey-Panel (GHS-Panel) Wave 5 at a ceremony held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

The GHS-Panel, a collaborative effort between NBS and the World Bank, is a key tool for understanding the living conditions of Nigerian households. The survey is designed to capture a wide array of information on income, assets, education, health, consumption, and resilience. This year marks the fifth wave of the longitudinal survey, which began in 2010, and it continues to follow approximately 5,000 households, providing rich insights into household dynamics over time.

In his address, Prince Adeniran highlighted the significance of the GHS-Panel, noting that the survey offers a unique opportunity to assess the socio-economic trends that shape Nigeria’s diverse population. “The data collected through this panel survey is invaluable for designing policies and interventions aimed at improving the livelihoods of Nigerians,” he said.

Wave 5 of the survey provides a deeper understanding of issues such as household wealth transitions, access to electricity, and the impact of economic and environmental shocks. According to the latest data, approximately 41.7% of households remained in the same wealth quintile as in the previous wave, while 29.4% experienced upward mobility and 28.9% saw a decline in their wealth status. Factors such as floods and post-harvest losses were identified as key contributors to downward mobility.

The survey also sheds light on disparities in energy access, revealing that while 82.2% of urban households have electricity, only 40.4% of rural households enjoy the same privilege. Nationally, households reported an average of 6.7 power blackouts per week, underscoring the ongoing challenges in the country’s energy sector.

Adeniran also emphasized the broader impact of the GHS-Panel, citing that the findings have influenced projects worth $8.9 billion across sectors such as agriculture, education, social protection, and governance. He encouraged policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders to engage with the data to drive evidence-based decisions that would promote poverty reduction, economic growth, and social welfare.

The GHS-Panel’s innovative methodology, which has evolved over the years, incorporates enhanced modules that track migration patterns, remittances, climate-related shocks, and early childhood development. The introduction of these new modules reflects NBS’s commitment to capturing the changing realities faced by Nigerian households.

Prince Adeniran thanked the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their continued support in enhancing the technical capacity of the NBS. He also commended the NBS team for their dedication in collecting and analyzing data that is crucial for national development.

The event was a significant milestone for NBS and was attended by key figures from the National Assembly, government ministries, development partners, academia, and civil society organizations, all of whom play a pivotal role in shaping Nigeria’s development agenda.

In closing, Prince Adeniran invited all stakeholders to make full use of the data from the GHS-Panel to inform policy decisions and contribute to the ongoing efforts aimed at improving the socio-economic well-being of Nigerians.