NIEPA urges state governments to leverage on expertise to develop comprehensive, data-backed education sector plans

By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi

State governments across the country have been urged to leverage National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA’-Nigeria’s), Ondo, expertise to develop comprehensive, data-backed education sector plans.

The assertion was made as the NIEPA-Nigeria, successfully concluded its historic 2026 International Conference for Directors of Planning, Research, and Statistics (DPRS) in Ondo City, capital of Ondo State.

Held from 22nd through 26th June 2026, the event focused on “Strengthening Education Data Systems for Evidence-Based Planning and Decision Making”.

The landmark conference attracted top educational planners, directors, and administrators from across Nigeria, alongside a high-level delegation from the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), Ghana. Notable dignitaries headlining the event included NIEPA Director-General, Dr. David A. Shofoyeke; IEPA Ghana Director-General, Prof. Michael Boakye-Yiadom; the Secretary-General of NATCOM/UNESCO in Nigeria, Dr. Idowu Olagunju L.; and the Director of NEMIS at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Mathew Ngajisor.

In his welcome address, Dr. Shofoyeke reaffirmed the Institute’s core mandate as a powerhouse for capacity building. Warning that fragmented data severely hinders national progress.

Adding a vital pan-African perspective, Prof. Boakye-Yiadom stressed that reliable data is an essential tool for projecting future workforce needs across critical sectors to sustain national growth. Echoing these progressive sentiments, Dr. Olagunju lauded the recent rapid transformations at NIEPA and the Federal Government’s renewed prioritization of educational data gathering.

Delivering the keynote address virtually, Mrs. Obianuju Anigbogu, Director of Educational Planning and Development at the Federal Ministry of Education, outlined ongoing reforms under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI). On behalf of the Honourable Minister of Education, she delivered a resounding charge, challenging participants to ensure that empirical evidence—rather than intuition—dictates all future educational investments.

Following robust technical sessions—where Dr. Olagunju served as the lead paper presenter on EMIS architecture and Mr. Ngajisor detailed EMIS optimization platforms—the conference culminated in a strong communiqué. The document urged governments at all levels to modernize data infrastructure and strictly mandate the use of educational data in resource allocation. Furthermore, it called for NIEPA to convene a high-level engagement with State Commissioners of Education to reinforce these strategies.

According to the Media Officer of the Institute, Mr. Tenabe Bodunde Michael, the week of diplomacy and international administrative success was elegantly capped with a historic courtesy visit to the palace of the Osemawe and Paramount Ruler of Ondo Kingdom, Oba Dr. Victor Adesimbo Kiladejo, celebrating pan-African heritage and community-driven educational educational advancement.