Trump's firing of statistics executive Erika McEntrfer is very disturbing

THE late Dr Wole Adegboyega, a United Nations expert who served as my advisor on the first post-apartheid census of South Africa, told me of a story about questioning the integrity of census numbers.

- Dr Pali Lehohla

He was a consultant in Sierra Leone during a count and the number they presented was rejected off hand by the president who said, "My son you no sabi how to count.

Plenty people dey de for forest and make you commot count em. I beg oo my son."

This means that there are more people in the forest that have been missed and not counted.

That Trump fired Erika McEntrfer the executive of the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics (US BLS) is not new in the practice of official statistics, but it is very disturbing. Many in the world of labour statistics, which measures the labour market dynamics that includes unemployment have trained at this prestigious US BLS.

The Chief Statistician of the United States sits in the Office of Management and Budget. The responsibility of such a person is that of an associate director for data and governance-wide policy - a data steward so to say.

This office is tied and enjoined to the global statistical system and practices of the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the United Nations Statistical Commission, which the late Chief Statistician of the United States Katherine Wallman chaired. The burden of chairing the commission is no light task - I felt the weight of responsibility when I did.

On Friday, 1st of August, the D-day for tariffs, US President Donald Trump axed McEntrfer. The firing comes after the employment figures showed a sluggish job creation - only 73 000 jobs were created in July.

"I believe the numbers were phony ... so I fired her", so dismissively argued President Trump for dismissal of a professional that holds the key to statistics - state facts. More than anything else President Trump was driven by belief rather than evidence and on the basis of his personal belief, he transformed this into a presidential decision to fire McEnter.