National Bureau of Statistics in partnership with UNICEF presents MICS 2016-17 key results

The National Bureau of statistics (NBS) in partnership with United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) have over the week in Enugu lunched the results for the 5th round of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in Nigeria.

The MICS 2016-17 summary of key results presented were in thirteen areas, which includes Under-5 mortality, early childhood mortality, Brestfeeding, exclusive and predominant breast feeding among children under 6 months, Child malnutrition, among under 5 children wasting, underweight and stunting, Vaccination, fully immunized children age 12-23 by geo political zone.

Others areas surveyed are, Use of Solid fuel for cooking, Use of Insecticide treated Net, Household with insecticide treated net, Access to the use of Improved water and sanitation, Antenatal care Delivery, School Enrollment and attendance, Child Protection, HIV knowledge and Testing, Mass Media and ICT, Life Satisfaction and Wellbeing.
In an address during the Zonal Dissemination of MICS 2016-17 results, the Chief of UNICEF Field Office Enugu Abrahim Conteh said ” the survey is very important to UNICEF because it helps us to understand the situation of children in this country together with the national bureau of statistic”

According to him it is a wonderful day for UNICEF and the government because the long awaited indicator master survey is out and that UNICEF has been one of the key partners that supports this excise.
He noted that the partnership between UNICEF and National Bureau of statistics in conducting Mics dates back to 1995, when the first round of Mics was conducted and that for the past 22 years UNICEF has been consistent in partnering with NBS to implement surveys that deliver sound statistics about women and children in Nigeria.
He said that MICS is a reliable source of information for assessing the situation of children and women in the areas of Nutrition, Health, HIV/AIDs, WASH, EDUCATION, and Child protection, it is also used to calculate multidimensional poverty, a key indicator to understanding how the child, and care-givers are affected by the complexity of issues generated by poverty.
Conteh noted that up to date Nigeria has participated in five rounds of MICS saying that the latest round 5 has been expanded in content and scope to include,Questionnaire for individual men, Additional modules such as on water quality testing, tobacco and alcohol use, life satisfaction, access to mass media and use of information and communication technology and the it is the first time MICS were conducted in Lagos and Kano states to allow data disaggregation up to senatorial district levels.
In the opening remark the statistician General of the Federation Yemi Kale represented by P Eweama said the planning and preparation for the survey was the longest and most detailed for any major household survey they have executed during his tenure.
He said that MICS survey has become the largest source of statistically sound and internationally comparable data on women and children worldwide, focusing on issues such as health, education, Child protection among others.

“Over the next few days, staff of NIBS and UNICEF alongside other partners will be travelling across the rest of the 6 geopolitical zones of the country to launch this report”. He said.
He called for the users of data particularly government, development agencies NGOS and policy makers at all levels to see the result as another source of information they could draw from.

Regis Anukwuoji/Enugu