The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) website, a vital portal for accessing key economic data in Nigeria, has been offline for more than three weeks following a hacking incident. The prolonged unavailability has left researchers, policymakers, and businesses in a bind as critical economic data remains inaccessible.
The breach, which occurred on December 18, has not only disrupted access to decades of economic information but also halted updates on pressing issues such as Nigeria’s inflation figures and debt reports. In an advisory, the NBS warned against relying on any information on the website until it is fully restored. However, no timeline has been provided for when the site will be operational again.
Economists are raising red flags as the blackout threatens to derail critical decision-making processes. December’s inflation report, which plays a crucial role in shaping the Central Bank of Nigeria’s monetary policy, is due this January. The delay could significantly impact the bank’s upcoming policy meeting scheduled for January 27-28.
Moreover, reports on capital inflows and updates on local and foreign debt for the third quarter of 2024, both of which are vital for economic planning, have yet to be published online.
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The implications extend beyond policymakers. According to Uchenna Uwaleke, a professor of capital markets at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, the absence of a reliable data source is a major setback. “The delay is giving us a lot of concern. Many researchers rely on data from the agency as that one source that is authentic and considered genuine. There’s a limit to what can be disseminated via press releases,” Uwaleke said.
Adding to the confusion is the silence from the NBS on its official X account (formerly Twitter), which has not posted any updates since announcing the hack.
The timing of the website’s shutdown has also raised eyebrows. Bloomberg Africa reports that a day before the hack, the agency released its 2024 Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey. The report revealed that Nigerians paid an estimated ₦2.3 trillion ($1.5 billion) in ransom within a year, with 65% of households affected by kidnapping incidents. The sensitive nature of this data has led to speculation about the motives behind the attack.
Criticism of the government’s handling of the situation is mounting. A user on X, identified as Mr. Dapo, described the prolonged website downtime as “a dangerous game being played by the present administration.”
As the NBS remains tight-lipped about the breach and its recovery efforts, the prolonged outage underscores the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures in safeguarding critical national data. With the economy hanging in the balance, stakeholders are demanding transparency and swift action to restore public confidence in the agency’s operations.
