A former Permanent Secretary in the Ogun State Ministry of Finance, Mr. Emmanuel Ofor has charged the first Statistician General in the State, Mr. David Olawale Alao to continue to uphold professionalism as his main driving force, so as to enable the Bureau of Statistics contribute adequately to the growth and development of the State.

Ofor who was also a Director of Statistics before he rose to the position of a Permanent Secretary before he retired, gave the charge when the Statistician General and his team paid him a courtesy visit today, in Abeokuta.

The former PS said the Bureau needs to continue to build its Officers to make professionalism their watch word while having the zeal to compile and process data which would help the government and people of the State to continue to progress.

Ofor, in a statement signed by the Press Officer, Bureau Of Statistics, Mrs. Pelumi Oduronbi, advised the Statistician General “not to play double role as Consultant and Statistician General as this can kill the Bureau”.

Narrating his struggle toward the establishment of the State Bureau of Statistics, the retired PS gave God the glory “that dream came to reality though the road was rough and tough”.

He commended the efforts of the First Statistician General and his team since the establishment of the Bureau, urging them to be diligent in the discharge of their duties.

Ofor called on the government to ensure professional Statisticians were allowed to head in the Bureau in the future, stressing that the Bureau as a critical government agency which is relevant for the actualisation of sustainable development should not be lead by non-professionals

Speaking earlier, the Statistician General, David Olawale Alao commended the efforts of the retired PS who he referred to as the Founding Father of Bureau of Statistics for helping to build a thriving profession for Statisticians in the State.

Alao later presented the Permanent Secretary with an Award of Recognition of tremendous support to the Bureau of Statistics.