Statistical association urges acting President to sign CISON Bill into law

The Nigerian Statistical Association (NSA) has appealed to the acting President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, to sign the Chartered Institute of Statisticians of Nigeria (CISON) Bill into law.

The 2nd Vice-President of NSA, Dr Olusanya Olubusoye, made the call in an interview with our reporter in Abuja on Thursday.

Olubusoye said that the association would transit from NSA to CISON, once the bill received the endorsement of the president.

‘‘CISON is a professional body just like ICAN that will regulate the work that statisticians should do, so they will also declare who is a statistician before one becomes a member.

“ICAN has series of examinations they conduct for their members before they become professionals similarly CISON will have.

“The association has started a legal process to have CISON so that members can practice with recognition and legal backing.

“The bill has been passed by the National Assembly for more than two years but up till now it has not be signed by the President.

“We are hoping that it will be signed soon and the association will now transit from mere association to an award body,’’ he said.

Olubusoye said that the acting president recently signed some bills into law, adding that CISON Bill was not among them.

He said that reasons were giving for those bills that were not signed and that no reason was giving for not signing the CISON Bill into law.

“Signing the Bill doesn’t have any financial implication for the government; it is something that is in practice globally.

“I am a Chartered Statistician of the Royale Statistical Society, London.

“In Nigeria, we should also have rules and regulation for professional body for statisticians to be able to practice just like medical profession; you have to practice under approved regulations,” the official said.

Meanwhile, in a document on CISON obtained from the NSA Secretariat, the CISON Bill has four parts.

It stated that Part One would be the Establishment of the Chartered Institute of Statisticians of Nigeria while Part Two of CISON would be on the Registrar and the Register.

“Part Three, Professional Discipline and Part Four would be General and Miscellaneous.

“The institute will determine what standards of knowledge and skill are to be gained by persons seeking to become members of the statistics profession.’’

The document further stated that the institute would have the duties to revise those standards from time to time as circumstances might permit.

“It will secure, in accordance with this bill, the establishment and maintenance of registers of fellows, associates and registered statisticians entitled to practice as statisticians.

“The institute will also publish, from time to time, lists of those persons in the categories,’’ it stated.