Harry, Statistician-General, is dead, Agba mourns
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Statistician General of the Federation, Dr Simon Harry, passed away in Abuja on Wednesday barely eight months after he was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The Director of Communications at the NBS, Mr Sunday Joel Ichedi confirmed the development to Promptnewsonline in Abuja on Wednesday.
Harry died at the Nissa Premier Hospital in Abuja where he was rushed to last Friday after he reportedly suffered a massive attack of stroke that led to his being brain dead and was on life-support machine since last Friday.
Only last Sunday, the NBS issued a statement debunking the death of the Statistician-General of the Federation describing the report as false.
In a statement by its Director, Communication and Public Relations Department, Ichedi Joel, on Sunday, he refuted the report by an online platform claiming the SG was dead.
Mr Sunday, who described the report as false, noted that the SG was ill on Saturday and was much better on Sunday after taking medications.
The statement reads: “The Bureau wishes to state that there is no iota of truth in what was published by an online medium and considers the publication as the height of irresponsible journalism and a figment of the imagination of the publisher.
“The fact of the matter is that the Statistician-General was slightly indisposed on Saturday and following medication is now recuperating.
“We are well certain that he would, in a matter of a few days, be back to his desk and continue his work in repositioning the NBS as the foremost national statistics agency in Africa and among the best globally.”
Late Harry replaced the former Statistician-General, Dr Yemi Kale who was in the saddle for two terms of ten years and whose tenure expired on August 16, 2021.
Within eight months of being appointed, Harry reportedly transformed the NBS- both physical structure and administrative infrastructure, prioritising workers’ welfare in the transformational process.
He was, before his appointment as Statistician-General, the Director, Corporate Planning and Technical Coordination Department of NBS with almost three decades of statistical experience.
– Minister of State, Agba mourns
The Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning Prince Clem Agba has described the passing of the Statistician General of the Federation, Dr Simon Harry as a rude shock and diminishing.
The Minister was reacting to the passing of the SG in a statement he personally signed and made available on Wednesday.
The statement reads: “I received with rude shock the news of the sudden death of the Statistician-General (SG) of the Federation, Dr Simon Harry, which occurred on Wednesday morning in Abuja.
“The late Dr Simon Harry served the nation with distinction as SG in the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS.
“He discharged the mandate of his office with unparalleled devotion and responsibility, always giving my office timeous reports on the activities of the National Bureau of Statistics as his supervising minister.
“I attest to the transformation that took place under his short leadership stint at the NBS. His death has diminished the clan of public office holders who are significantly committed to the nation’s development.
Following his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, Dr Harry had hit the ground running, investing his best in the service for which history will not forget him and posterity will judge him positively.
“On behalf of the management and staff members of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, I commiserate with the President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, his (Dr Harry’s) family members and the management and staff members of the National Bureau of Statistics on this great loss.
“I pray that the Almighty God would grant the late Dr Simon Harry’s soul eternal repose”.
