JUST IN: Nigeria’s Statistician-General Simon Harry dies

The Statistician-General of the Federation and head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Simon Harry, is dead.

He died on Wednesday morning in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

NBS Director of Communication and Public Relations Department, Ichedi Joel, confirmed his death.

He was said to have been indisposed on Saturday and was immediately given medical attention.

Harry was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2021 to replace Yemi Kale.

Prior to his appointment, Harry was the Director of NBS Corporate Planning and Technical Coordination.

He joined the Federal Office of Statistics as Statistician 11 in 1992 and became the substantive Director of Statistics in 2019.

Harry contributed to reform initiatives including the transformation of the then Federal Office of Statistics to the NBS.

The deceased was part of the team that rejigged the Nigerian Statistical System, resulting in the establishment of State Bureaus of Statistics.