By ENITAN ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA, mnipr
Delta State has commenced the compilation of its first State-based Consumer Price Index (CPI), with the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Mr Sonny Ekedayen, warning that inaccurate economic data could undermine government’s efforts at effective planning and policymaking.
Ekedayen gave the warning on Wednesday in Asaba while declaring open a five-day training workshop on the compilation of the Delta State 2026 Consumer Price Index.
The workshop, being held at the Professor Chike Edozien Secretariat from September 22 to 26, is organised in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics, which is providing technical support and facilitating the training.
Describing the exercise as a landmark development in the state’s statistical system, the commissioner said the compilation of a state-specific CPI would strengthen the government’s ability to understand price movements and make economic decisions based on reliable data.
“Without accurate CPI data, our planning would be built on weak foundations,” Ekedayen said.
He explained that the CPI was not merely a statistical figure, but an important economic indicator used to measure changes in the general prices of goods and services consumed by households.
According to him, reliable CPI data is critical to inflation measurement and monitoring, monetary and fiscal policy decisions, wage and pension adjustments, poverty and welfare analysis, as well as national and sub-national planning and budgeting.
The commissioner said the commencement of the exercise reflected the state government’s commitment to building capacity, strengthening its data systems and ensuring that statistics generated in Delta met professional and internationally recognised standards.
“This gathering reflects our commitment to building capacity, strengthening data systems and ensuring that the statistics we produce meet the highest professional standards,” he said.
Ekedayen urged the statisticians and enumerators participating in the exercise to take the training seriously, stressing that they constituted a critical component of the state’s statistical system.
“You are the backbone of our statistical system—the quality of our state data depends on you,” he told the participants.
The commissioner said the exercise had become particularly important against the backdrop of prevailing inflationary pressures and concerns over the rising cost of goods and services.
He noted that the recent direction of inflation suggested some moderation, adding that sustained policy measures were necessary to improve economic conditions and the welfare of citizens.
The training, according to him, was designed to refresh and deepen participants’ understanding of CPI concepts and methodology, strengthen their skills in data collection, processing and analysis, and expose them to emerging challenges in price statistics.
It will also promote consistency between Delta State’s statistical practices and international standards, including those developed by the International Labour Organisation, International Monetary Fund and the United Nations.
The commissioner said the CPI workshop came shortly after the validation exercise for the Delta State Statistical Year Book, describing the two initiatives as part of the ministry’s broader effort to improve the state’s statistical infrastructure.
He commended the National Bureau of Statistics for its collaboration and technical assistance, as well as the resource persons facilitating the training.
Among the NBS officials participating as facilitators are Dr Emmanuel Abbah, Dr Calistius Ihemebiri and Mrs Bukola Babalola.
At the technical sessions, participants were taken through conceptual issues and methodology of CPI compilation, data collection procedures, the Delta State expenditure CPI basket, questionnaire review and the use of the Kobo Collect application.
Other areas covered included calculation methodologies, gathering of consumption-pattern information, derivation of Delta State item weights and the treatment of missing items.
The participants also engaged the facilitators in interactive sessions, asking questions and sharing field experiences as part of preparations for the actual CPI data collection exercise.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Planning, Mr Augustine Itawansa; State Director of Statistics, Mrs Nkechi Maduemezia; directors and other senior officials, expressed confidence that the training would enhance the quality and credibility of data generated by the state.
He charged the participants to ensure accuracy, consistency and professionalism throughout the exercise, stressing that credible statistics remained indispensable to effective governance and development planning.
The successful compilation of the CPI, he added, would provide Delta State with a more reliable basis for tracking price movements and supporting evidence-based decisions on the economy and welfare of its residents.