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Prof. Agwuegbo Blames Nigeria’s Woes on Lack of Statistical Reasoning
Prof. Obi-Nnamdi Agwuegbo, a Financial Mathematics expert, has attributed Nigeria’s persistent economic challenges to the failure of successive governments to apply statistical reasoning in policy formulation.
Delivering the 102nd Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) titled “Statistical Reasoning: A Panacea for National Development” on Wednesday, Agwuegbo said the analogue approach of government to development issues has hindered the nation’s progress.
The professor of Stochastic Modelling, from the Department of Statistics, College of Physical Sciences (COLPHYS), emphasized that statistical reasoning is essential for transforming raw data into actionable insights that drive policy, innovation, and national growth.
“No field of research can attain scientific credibility without statistical methods,” he said, stressing the role of statistics in ensuring reliability across fields, from healthcare to manufacturing.
“Without statistical interpretation, data is merely an unintelligible array of numbers. It is only through statistical reasoning that data becomes meaningful,” he added.
Agwuegbo called for the integration of statistical reasoning into all postgraduate programmes and urged the establishment of a robust national data platform to support research and innovation.
He also encouraged universities to embed statistical literacy in their curricula to foster critical thinking and data-driven decision-making among students.
In his remarks, FUNAAB Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Olukayode Akinyemi, praised Agwuegbo for his impactful lecture and academic achievements.
A fellow of several professional bodies including the Nigerian Statistical Association (NSA), International Biometric Society (IBS), and American Statistical Association (ASA), Prof. Agwuegbo has published over 40 scholarly articles in leading local and international journals.