Kano Bureau of Statistics disowns viral population data, threatens legal action

The Kano State Bureau of Statistics, KSBS, has disowned a viral publication attributed to the agency, describing its claims on the state’s population, industries, places of worship and street children as false, misleading and unsupported by official records.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Bureau said the publication, authored by one Garba Adamu and circulated by an online platform identified as The Sultan of Hausa-Land, was not generated by the agency and did not reflect any of its official statistical findings.

The Bureau categorically denied being the source of the figures contained in the publication, insisting that the claims were “entirely false, misleading and without any factual basis.”

KSBS faulted the publication’s claim that Kano State has only 58 industries, stating that the validated industrial census conducted by the Kano State Investment Promotion Agency, KANINVEST, in collaboration with the Bureau put the number of active industries—including micro, small, medium and large-scale enterprises—at 3,632.

The agency also dismissed the report’s claim that Kano has 435,389 mosques, saying its official records show only 2,333 Jumu’at mosques across the state.

It added that the publication equally failed to provide credible evidence for its claims on the number of churches in the state.

The Bureau further rejected the assertion that 3.67 million underage children without parents or guardians were roaming the streets of Kano, describing the figure as grossly exaggerated and unsupported by any official statistics.

According to KSBS, a validated mapping exercise conducted by the agency identified 6,573 street beggars in the state, with only 457—representing about seven per cent—being children between the ages of zero and 10 years.

The Bureau challenged the publisher to disclose the methodology, data sources and evidence used in arriving at the figures contained in the publication.

It also reminded the public that under the laws regulating official statistics in Kano State, all individuals, organisations, research institutions and development partners intending to conduct statistical surveys or data collection exercises within the state must first obtain approval from the Bureau.

The agency therefore challenged Garba Adamu to produce documentary evidence showing that KSBS authorised the survey upon which the publication was based.

The Bureau demanded that the publisher retract the publication in its entirety, issue a public correction within 48 hours and provide proof of any authorisation allegedly granted by KSBS for the survey.

It warned that failure to comply would leave it with no option but to pursue legal action over what it described as the misrepresentation of official statistics, dissemination of false statistical information and the unauthorised conduct of statistical activities in Kano State.

KSBS reaffirmed its commitment to producing credible, reliable and evidence-based statistics to support policymaking, sustainable development and informed public discourse in the state.