By Simeon Nwakaudu
Let me start by declaring that I am not a statistician. I am not an economist. I am a Nigerian who is interested in the development of all component parts of this country.
My interest in development drew my attention to the statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) wherein it stated that Rivers State has the highest rate of unemployment with 41. 82percent, Akwa Ibom second with 36. 58percent, Bayelsa third with 30.percent, Imo State fourth with 29.47percent and Kaduna State fifth with 28. 96percent.
According to the NBS, the country’s unemployment rate rose from 14.2% to 18.8% in 2017. It also said that Nigeria’s labour population increased from 83.9 million in the second quarter to 85.1 million in the third quarter of 2017, a difference of 1.2million in additional workforce.
First question, what are the indices that the NBS relied upon to reach the statistics released to the public. How come three South-South States and one South-East State emerged with the highest unemployment rates between 28.8 percent to 42 percent when the National Average is 18percent?
Could it be that Rivers and the other four states have higher population of qualified persons with WAEC certificates and University Degrees who are yet to be employed. In other words, do we have a greater percentage of unemployed persons in Rivers State than in Lagos State?
Despite the fact that Lagos State has the highest population of qualified Nigerians from all states resident there, it has a lower unemployment rate than small Bayelsa State.
What research methodology was adopted by the NBS to reach these intriguing statistics where the national average is at variance with component statistics from specific states?
How did the NBS generate data in all the states that led to the outcome? Were state agencies involved and to what extent were the unemployed involved in the generation of these data?
If we are to believe the NBS Unemployment Statistics, it means that there are more percentage unemployed persons in Rivers State than in Kano, Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Adamawa, Jigawa, Gombe, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger States. The world would gladly want to know the process used in arriving at this conclusion.
I have searched online repeatedly to see the processes used by NBS, but to no avail. The fact that unemployment is a major challenge across the country is known to all.
However, this fact should not be the premise for the concoction of statistics, without verifiable processes. In this internet age, any process adopted to reach any conclusion must be transparent, so that political interpretations are not thrown up . More so, that we have a Federal Government that is allergic to the truth ans wants to undo component opposition states.
Though I disagree with the outcome of the report and the grading of the states until the processes and research methods are clearly defined, there is an aspect that I partially agree with.
A newspaper quoted the NBS report thus: ” Graduates tend to prefer fewer in supply white collar jobs rather than often rural, seasonal and low skilled and lower paying blue-collar jobs that are more in supply. The unemployment rate increased from 14.2% in Q4 2016 to 16.2% in Q2 2017 and 18.8% in Q3 2017. The number of people within the labor force who are unemployed or underemployed increased from 13.6 million and 17.7 million respectively in Q2 2017, to 15.9 million and 18.0 million in Q3 2017″.
In Rivers State for instance, Governor Wike has created close to 100, 000 white and blue collar jobs through his consistent roll out of projects over the last three years. Obviously, those who prepared this report made no attempt to factor in these jobs into their report.
A fact based report from a body like the NBS, must of necessity be informative and educative. The report must not be sensational and a flippant attempt for political failures to glory in momentary orgasm of worthless statistical masturbation.
As I write, well over 200 roads have been delivered, another close to 200 roads are progressing satisfactorily across the state. In the completed and on-going project sites, workers were/are employed in their thousands.
Over 200 primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools were reconstructed and rehabilitated within the period under review. More than 50 hospitals and health centres are being reconstructed and rehabilitated across the state. These projects all have enormous job components.
The construction of the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park, the on-going construction of restaurants and cinemas at the park, the ongoing construction of Mile One Market, the ongoing construction of Bonny/Bille/Nembe Jetty, ongoing construction of National Industrial Court, Rehabilitation of Appeal Court and the Produce House amongst others.
There is the GreenGas LNG Facility being constructed by Grenville Oil and Gas Limited in Rumuji community of Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State. This new N140billion project that will add value to the economy of the country.
These international investors have followed the footsteps of Indorama Fertiliser Plant and Notore Fertiliser Plant to help in the process of rebuilding the nation’s battered economy.
The first phase of the project is almost on stream, providing about 3500 direct jobs. It will provide in the short-term over 40000 indirect jobs across the country.
Chairman of Greenville Oil and Gas Limited , owners of GreenGas LNG Facility, Eddy Van Den Broeke said:”We are in Rivers State to form a partnership with the state government for necessary economic growth “.
The first phase of this project covers 42 hectares and the pipeline architecture will cover different parts of the country, setting off a chain of investment opportunities. At present, hundreds of indigenes and other Nigerians are working at the project site.
This project throws up 750 trucks that will be loading from the facility, while it will generate 150 megawatts of electricity to serve Rivers State and Nigeria. This explanation captures the job component of this project.
The NBS Unemployment Statistics failed to situate the place of thousands of jobs being created daily at project sites in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa. Perhaps the aloofness of the data gathering process denied it the very foundation of credibility. Sitting in air-conditioned offices to compose key reports, destroys the premise for growth in a modern world, where accurate data is paramount.
It is no longer news that Bill Gates, the Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, faulted the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery And Growth Plan (ERGP). This despised ERGP was built around statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics which misled the Federal Government to generate economic policies that don’t meet the needs of Nigerians.
It is true that Nigeria is facing an unemployment crisis induced by the recession that the failed APC Federal Government brought upon the country. However, unemployment statistics must be transparent, generated from the field, centred on development and less politically-based.
It will be naive to imagine that Moneyline with Nancy on AIT threw up the controversial NBS Statistics Graphic six months after it was released, for purely developmental purposes. Remember, Nancy always shouts the slogan…”be the ‘change’ you want to see”. We all know the owners of ‘change ” and how much ‘change’ they have brought to bear on the country. Unemployment premised on recession is one of the them.
Be that as it may, the Rivers State Government continues to work for improvement of employment opportunities, despite the harsh economic realities.
The State Executive Council has approved the setting up of a technology hub to bring the state up to speed in the internet age and generate countless information technology jobs for the youths.
The State Government has also developed a Rivers State Jobs (RivJobs) Portal to help create employment opportunities for qualified Rivers youths. The interractive portal will create a platform for qualified Rivers youths to interface with employers and get placements.
Beyond rolling out statistics that excites failing politicians in different states, it is important for the National Bureau of Statistics to firmly to establish principles upon which their numbers are derived. Otherwise, we shall continue to question the veracity of data released by NBS under the failed APC Federal Government, which is enmeshed in falsehood and national treachery.
