February 17, (THEWILL) — The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Mrs Eduma Essien, has called for a legal framework to regulate the practice of statistics in Nigeria, warning that the growing presence of unqualified practitioners is undermining the profession.
Essien urged the government at all levels to enact and enforce laws that would restrict professional practice to individuals with appropriate training and certification.
She noted that the absence of regulation has opened the field to quackery, weakening standards and eroding confidence in statistical outputs.
According to her, statistics is a broad-based and highly specialised discipline with multiple areas of application across sectors, making it both relevant and commercially viable.
She stressed that only certified professionals should be entrusted with statistical responsibilities in public and private institutions. The Rector made the remarks while receiving the Head and staff of the Department of Statistics, who paid her a courtesy visit.
Speaking during the visit, the Head of Department, Dr Joseph Dagogo, commended the Rector’s first year in office, citing improvements in academic standards and institutional development.
He said the polytechnic had recorded progress in the accreditation of additional National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes, alongside infrastructure upgrades and enhanced learning conditions.
The department presented an award of honour to Essien, a statistician, in recognition of her support for academic development, research and professional growth within the institution.
Also speaking, the Dean of the School of Applied Science, Dr Nsikak Essien, attributed recent institutional gains to what he described as focused and strategic leadership.
