NBS and UNICEF to launch national survey on immunization

The Federal Government, through the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), will commence the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS6) and National Immunisation Coverage Survey (NICS) 2021, alongside the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

This was disclosed by Dr Yemi Kale, the Statistician-General of the Federation, and Chief of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), at a media conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

Dr Kale added that the MICS had grown to become the most reliable source of statistically sound and internationally comparable data on women and children worldwide, with the last round exercised in 2016/17 as stakeholders prepared to combine both the MICS and the NICS surveys.

“The combination of these two surveys in Nigeria has become a pioneer and model for strategic implementation and management of multiple national surveys,” he said.

Investment One
“This has been done for the purpose of efficiency, cost reduction and data consistency within the national statistical system.

“On completion of this exercise, the MICS-NICS will serve as a major source of data for tracking the success or otherwise of Nigeria’s attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“It will also serve as a major source of information for monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and nutritional status of households in Nigeria.”

He added that changes would be made to improve the diversity of data, including the addition of new modules to the questionnaires, new questions, measurements and application of technology in collecting and analysing the data. He stated also that the exercise would begin on August 31 and run through to the middle of November.

He revealed that the FG wanted to reassure Nigerians that the result of the survey would be used to improve the health of Nigerians.