The Statistician-General of the Federation, Simon Harry, is dead. The Director, Communication and Public Relations Department, Ichedi Joel confirmed his death on Wednesday in Abuja.
The agency had dismissed rumors of his death barely 48 hours ago. Joel said, “It is not a rumor anymore, the SG is dead, he died from an illness.”
He was said to have been ill on Saturday and was immediately given medical attention.
Harry who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the Statistician-General of the Federation in August last year, joined the Federal Office of Statistics as Statistician 11 in 1992. In 2019, he rose to the position of a substantive Director of Statistics.
Harry has contributed to several reform initiatives including the reform of the then Federal Office of Statistics which was transformed into the current National Bureau of Statistics.
He also contributed to reforming Nigeria’s Statistical System which resulted in the creation and establishment of the state bureau of statistics at the sub-national level.
