The Chief Imam of the University of Ibadan, Professor Abdulrahman Oloyede, has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to rely on the data released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) to measure the level of poverty in the country.

Oloyede advised Tinubu to conduct his own research and get accurate information and data to assess the level of suffering in the country and make necessary adjustments.

The professor of Arabic and Islamic studies made these disclosures shortly after he led the Muslim congregation in the institution to observe the two obligatory Rakah Eld-Kabir prayers on Wednesday.

Oloyede said, “The President should access people’s welfare according to their purchasing power and not from what the Federal Bureau of Statistics gives; he should have his own eye to assess people’s ability to eat.

“When people are not able to feed themselves, then the government is failing; if they are able to feed themselves, then the government is winning.

“He should not rely on FBS to give him information; he should have his own information, and he should not rely on what they give him because of the bureaucracy. He should have his own information outside the bureaucracy.

“He should have his information to feel the pulse of the people. He should have the information to know if the people are able to eat and if they are able to pay their children’s school fees and not rely on the official protocol. That is my message to the President.