The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, openly admitted on Monday that he is currently unsure of the exact unemployment statistics in Nigeria. He made this revelation during a session with the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour, and Productivity, where he was present to defend the Ministry's 2025 budget.
Dingyadi clarified that his Ministry has access to the necessary data but refrained from providing specific figures to avoid sharing potentially inaccurate information. He emphasized the importance of ensuring accuracy before releasing such sensitive statistics to the public.
According to reports, the session was chaired by Senator Diket Plang, who oversees the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour, and Productivity. While addressing lawmakers, Dingyadi reassured them that the Ministry is working diligently to address unemployment issues and improve job creation across the country.
During the meeting, the Minister also noted that he had not anticipated being questioned about unemployment figures at the session. He explained that he did not have the relevant statistics on hand but assured the Committee that his Ministry is coordinating efforts to compile and verify the data.
“We didn’t know that this question was going to be answered today. I don’t want to give you figures that I’m not very sure of. But I want to assure you that we have these figures available,” Dingyadi said while responding to inquiries from the Senate Committee.
He further explained, “I didn’t come with them today, but we have to coordinate all the relevant data because our parastatals and agencies are actively working on the issue of fighting unemployment. Once the data is coordinated, we will provide the Committee with the figures. I trust that members of this Committee are very serious and intelligent individuals, and I am confident that once we present the data, you will be able to verify its accuracy.”
He added, “Please give us a little time to finalize this process. We will ensure that the figures are made available to the Committee, and we are willing to make them public if required.”
The Minister concluded by emphasizing the Ministry’s commitment to reducing unemployment and fostering job opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
Meanwhile, Senator Diket Plang, the Committee Chairman, commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its dedication to the welfare of Nigerian workers. He acknowledged the Ministry’s efforts in promoting decent work and creating employment opportunities across the country.
The session highlighted the government’s ongoing efforts to tackle unemployment while emphasizing the need for accurate and reliable data to guide policy decisions.