Section 22: Powers to obtain Information.

(1) Subject to the provision of this Act, the Bureau shall from time to time, collect statistics throughout the Federation or from any part thereof concerning any other matter set out in the First Schedule of this Act.
(2) The Statistician-General may, for the purpose of this section-
(a) by notice in writing, require a person to furnish, in such form and matter and within such time as may be specified in the notice, such periodical or other information, estimates, return or particulars relating to any of the matters specified in the First Schedule to this Act relating to any of the matters specified in the First Schedule.
(b) by interviewing a person, require the person to furnish particulars relating to any of the matters specified in the First Schedule to this Act; and
(c) by notice in writing, require a person to complete a form contained in the notice with particulars relating to any of the matters specified in the First Schedule to this Act and to return it in such manner and within such time as may be specified in the notice.
(3) A notice referred to in subsection (1) of this section-
(a) may be served by delivering it to the person to whom it is addressed or by sending it by registered post to the person's last known address;
(b) shall state that it is served in exercise of the powers conferred on the Statistician-General by subsection (1) of this section; and
(c) shall include a general statement of the purpose for which the information, estimate, return or particulars is required.
(4) Where any information, estimate, return or particular is required of a person by a notice purporting to be issued by the Statistician-General, it shall, in any legal proceeding relating to the information, estimate, return, particular or notice, be presumed that the:
(a) information, estimate, return or particular is such as may lawfully be required of that person in accordance with the provisions of this Act; and
(b) notice was duly served in accordance with paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of this section, unless the contrary is proved.
(5) Where the person required to furnish any information, estimate, return or particular in accordance with the provisions of this section is a company incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990, the specifically authorized for the purpose by the company.
(6) The Statistician-General shall publish-
(a) by notification in the Gazette, and in such newspaper as may appear to him to be sufficient notice to the persons concerned; or
(b) if he or she is satisfied that local condition so require, in such other manner as may appear to him to be most suitable for the notification in the area or areas concerned;
(c) a list of the classes or description of undertakings in relation to which returns will be required for any of the purposes of this part of the Act.
(7) A person carrying on an undertaking of a class or description referred to in subsection (1) of this section, who has not received a notice under paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of this section requiring him to furnish any information, estimate, return or particular in relation to the undertaking, shall inform the Statistician-General-
(a) within such period as may be specified in the notification, not being less than 21 days after the date of the publication applicable to the person, that he is carrying on the undertaking; and
(b) within the same period or such further period as the Statistician-General may deem reasonable give the Statistician-General such particulars of the undertaking as may be so specified.
(8) Ministries and other public institutions which produce statistics relating to their responsibilities shall continue to do so, but such statistics shall conform to standards, classifications and procedures as determined by the Bureau to enhance the comparability of such statistics with other statistics of a similar nature, and to minimize unnecessary overlapping or duplication with the collection or publication of statistics by the various agencies and where the publication of the date thus collected requires recognition of the Bureau, the said ministries and other public institutions shall be required to provide the Statistician-General with the adminstrative dataset and copies of the report on the complied date.
(9) In order to enhance the professionalism in statistics collection, all ministries will be required to create Statistical Units, which shall be staffed with professional staff posted from the Bureau.
(10) For purpose of administration, these Units referred to in sub-section (9) of this section shall be under the control of the ministry where they are established, but the Statistician-General shall be responsible for the professional staff and promotion of standards in the work of these Units and these Units shall therefore periodically submit report to the Statistician-General.