DATA FOR BETTER LIVES
Utilizing Data to Ensure Better Community Transformation By Bodunde Samuel Damilola
Introduction There is a saying that he who has the data has the power, in as much as data provide power data can also become an agent of division and destruction in communities. This is where knowledge comes in. Data brings knowledge for effective community transformation; most communities need to first understand their challenges. This is first known through proper information gathering or data collection and analysis or processing for adequate decision making. Data are a resource that can be used and reused repeatedly to create more and more value, but there is a problem—the more data are reused, the higher is the risk of abuse (WDR, 2021). In the community where I reside Ungwan Boro, Chikun Local Government of Kaduna state NorthWest Nigeria, there is a major challenge of drug and substance abuse which among other challenges has affected the lives of various individuals in the community especially the youths. This is not seen as a challenge in the community because there is minimum amount of data collected to support this statement. Not much is known about the amount or percentage of members of that community involved in drug and substance abuse. Less data is available to know the spread and scope of that challenge.
Report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) with technical support from the UNODC,
Collection of data can help: Create awareness about the challenge of drug and substance abuse in the community. It can also help calling the attention of relevant stakeholders to help provide solutions that can attempt to eliminate or mitigate the challenge of drug and substance abuse. It can also provide a road map or frame work in helping solve the challenge by relevant stakeholders. It also helps in designing a baseline by which the community can help track the progress made in solving the challenge. It could also be for record keeping, which in turn provides data for research purposes in other community therefore assisting in combatting similar problems faced in other communities.
Data collection by healthcare professionals. Photo by Francisco Venâncio on Unsplash
What kind of data can be collected in the community? Data like the number of men, women and children can be known. Data like access to education, healthcare statistics, shelter and food can be collected. Unemployment level data can also be collected among the men, women and youths. Data on the type or kind of drugs peculiar to the environment has to be known Point of sale of the drugs and the groups or individuals involved with the sale and distribution of those drugs and substances in the community.
Data processing This involves the analysis of data to be able to gather substantial and orderly information for decision making and also storage. Data can be manipulated by the government or relevant stakeholders as means of collecting funds illegally for selfish interest this could be reduce by publicly making the community accept or reject data through validation, data manipulation regularly exist during processing of data.
Implementation This involves applying the data to help the community start its transformation process, implementation should actively involve relevant stakeholders in order to speedy the transformation. At the implementation phase, it can be known how exactly data has been manipulated. By relating the results of implementation to the baseline, progress can be tracked. Data has improved communities over time. The government of Nigeria has a bureau for statistics which helps in the collection and processing of various forms of data from government activities. If they can be funded and allowed to be autonomous the manipulation of data will be greatly reduced. There is a great challenge of multiple taxation especially in Nigeria and this is basically as a result of lack of adequate data collection. Good data practice could help reduce that challenge. Combining public intent data with private intent data is important for the government to look into because Innovations in repurposing and combining public intent and private intent data are opening
doors to development impacts previously unimaginable. These innovations can inform and advance policy goals, help governments improve and target service delivery, and empower individuals and civil society. (WDR, 2021). Adequate Data also provide the necessary information for any investor to want to invest in a community because it exposes the potentials, strength and weakness a community has.
Conclusion In conclusion it is seen that data has lots of benefits if used rightly and could pose a threat if used wrongly. The government has to do more in encouraging the collection and processing of data in a correct and secure way in accordance to international practice.
Reference Creative reuse of Data for greater value, (2021) World Development Report pp 141, The World Bank Malpass D. R. Foreword, data for better lives, (2021) World Development Report pp 141,
The World Bank