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In this second part, ROUNDCHECK details its findings which revealed that information on the Nigeria Data Portal, an arm of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), is not up-to-date.
ROUNDCHECK observed that three years after there are changes in government administration, names of governors of some Nigerian states remain obsolete.
They include; Lagos (APC), Nasarawa(APC), Ogun(APC), Osun(PDP), Oyo(PDP), Yobe(APC) and Zamfara (APC). Part one had focused on other states.
Lagos, Ikeja: Akinwunmi Ambode (APC) served as the governor from 2015 to 2019 but was denied the second term ticket.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu won the Party’s ticket and emerged as the governor in 2019.
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Ambode still appears as the governor on NBS. The state website has Sanwo-Olu’s name.
Sanwo-Olu assumed office on 29th May, 2019. He is currently seeking reelection in the 2023 gubernatorial election.
Nasarawa, Lafia: Umaru Tanko Al-Makaru (APC) was the governor from 2011 to 2019 and passed the baton to Abdullahi Sule (also APC).
Al-Makaru is still identified as governor on NBS website, while the state website displays Sule’s name.
On March 10, 2019, Sule was sworn-in as governor-elect.
Ogun, Abeokuta: Ibikunle Amosun served from 2011 to 2019 and lost to Dapo Abiodun, who is now seeking reelection.
Ex-governor Amosun still appears as the first person in the state on NBS portal while the state website identifies Abiodun as governor.
Abiodun took the mantle of government office on 29th May, 2019.
Osun, Osogbo: Rauf Aregbesola served as the governor from 2010 to 2018 and was succeeded by Adegboyega Oyetola.
Oyetola however lost 2nd term bid at the 2022 poll to Ademola Adeleke of the PDP.
On NBS website, the name of immediate past governor Oyetola did not appear as governor. However, Aregbesola still dominates as the first citizen in the state.
Oyetola (now ex-governor) assumed office on 27th November, 2018. On November 27th, 2022, Governor-elect Adeleke was sworn-in.
As at the time of this report, the state website has recognised Adeleke as governor.
Oyo, Ibadan: Abiola Ajimobi (APC) served as governor from 2011 to 2019. He was succeeded by Seyi Makinde of the PDP.
However, the ex-governor, Ajimobi, who died in 2020, is still on display on the NBS website. The state website identifies Makinde as the governor of Oyo after being sworn-in officially on 29th May, 2019.
Yobe, Damaturu: Ibrahim Geidam served the state from 2009 to 2019 before Mai Mala Buni took over.
Three years later, NBS still identifies Geidam as governor, while the state website identifies Buni.
Buni formally became the governor on 29th May, 2019.
Zamfara, Gusau: Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari served from 2011 to 2019. Bello Muhammed Matawalle is now the governor of the state and seeking reelection.
Although seeking reelection, only the state governmen website identifies Matawalle as the governor.
Despite Matawalle being declared winner on 29th May, 2019, NBS portal still identifies Yari as governor.
…March 18 Election In Brief
These former governors’ names are still visible on the NBS website at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, more of these governors are leaving office soon either by tenure expiration or being voted out in the coming state election on March 18, 2023.
Among those seeking reelection are Abiodun (Ogun); Yahaya (Gombe); Fintiri (Adamawa); Zulum (Borno); Mala Buni (Yobe) and Mohammed (Bauchi).
Others are; Matawalle (Zamfara); Abdul-Razaq (Kwara); Sule (Nasarawa); Makinde (Oyo); Sanwo-Olu (Lagos).
Some state elections are off-cycle, and the states and years of next elections include; Ekiti (2026); Imo (November 2023); Anambra (2025), and Bayelsa (Nov. 23).
Verdict
While many researchers and fact-checkers may want to depend on the information provided on the website of Nigeria Data Portal, an arm of the NBS, findings have shown that some information on the website is not up-to-date.
Also, the NBS posed as the apex hub of statistical information about the Nigerian government and its state governments. If the NBS can provide a backlink to the websites of the state governments, the Portal should also be timely updated.
The Nigeria Data Portal needs to be updated to provide researchers with up-to-date information to ensure that the data on its website is dependable.
EDITOR’S NOTE: As at the period of this report, the information referred to were still the same.
There is a new election coming up on March 18 and it is expected that the NBS portal will be updated to indicate. the new governors that will be elected or reelected.
