‘We Have The Figures But I’m Not Sure How Many Nigerians Are Unemployed’ – Labour Minister

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, on Monday, declared that he is not sure of the current unemployment statistics in the country.

He, however, said he is sure his Ministry has the details, but because he’s personally unsure of the current figures, he wouldn’t want to drop inaccurate figures in the public space.

Naijaonpoint reports Dingyadi made this submission when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, chaired by Sen. Diket Plang, to defend his Ministry’s 2025 budget figures.

Dingyadi however assured that the Ministery of Labour and Employment is working round the clock to tackle unemployment in the country.

The Minister added that he didn’t know he would have to answer questions along that line during his time with the lawmakers.

“We didn’t know that this question was going to be answered. I don’t want to go into giving you figures that I’m not very sure of. But I want to assure you that we have these figures.

“I didn’t come with them. We have to coordinate them because all our parastatals and agencies are working on this issue of fighting unemployment. “So we’ll coordinate and provide the committee with these figures. I know members of this committee are very serious and very intelligent.

“When we bring these figures, you will know whether what we are telling you is correct or not. So please, give us a little time. We will get these figures ready for you and we will make them public if you want us to do so.

“I’m sure the figures are there. It’s only that we didn’t come with them because we didn’t know that this question is going to be answered,” he said when asked about the unemployment figures in the country.

During the interaction, the Chairman of the committee appreciated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to the welfare of Nigerian workers, both in the public and the private sectors.

He also acknowledged the ministry’s commitment to ensuring decent work and promoting employment opportunities.