Simon Harry, Nigeria’s Statistician-General has passed away.

The official died Wednesday morning in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him in August 2021 to replace Yemi Kale.

The holder of the official doubles as Head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Prior to his appointment, Harry was the Director of NBS Corporate Planning and Technical Coordination.

He joined the Federal Office of Statistics as Statistician 11 in 1992 and became the substantive Director of Statistics in 2019.

Harry contributed to reform initiatives including the transformation of the then Federal Office of Statistics to the NBS.

The deceased was part of the team that rejigged the Nigerian Statistical System, resulting in the establishment of State Bureaus of Statistics.