The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi has made a confession.
He admitted on Monday that he is unsure of the current unemployment statistics in the country.
He explained that while his Ministry has the relevant data, he refrained from providing figures to avoid sharing inaccurate information.
According to reports, Dingyadi made this statement during his appearance before the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour, and Productivity, chaired by Senator Diket Plang, to defend the Ministry’s 2025 budget.
The Minister assured lawmakers that the Ministry is working tirelessly to address unemployment across the country.
Dingyadi also noted that he had not anticipated being asked questions on the topic during the session with the Senate Committee.
“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 discussion, the Committee Chairman praised President Bola Tinubu’s dedication to the welfare of Nigerian workers in both the public and private sectors.
He also recognized the Ministry’s efforts to promote decent work and create employment opportunities.
