This data below is from the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria, according to Nairametrics. I am still trying to understand the possibility of this. How did Covid-19 affect South South more than most parts of the north to have triggered this level of unemployment. With sustained pockets of insecurity in the Northeast, its unemployment was close to 10% better than the South South region. But as this report gets wider distribution, I want to see the raw numbers behind the percentages. So, Tekedia has asked NBS if it could share its raw numbers.
If we make progress, I will update the community here. But as it stands, I do not believe the usually reliable National Bureau of Statistics on this. That Rivers state has the second worst unemployment rate in Nigeria at 43.7%? That is a Nigeria’s tier-1 city in the same league as Lagos, Abuja and maybe Kano.
- August 2020 Unemployment Rate (Nigeria)
- South-South geopolitical zone (37.0%)
- South East (29.1%),
- North Central (27.9%),
- Northeast (27.9%),
- North West (26.3%),
- South West (18.0%).
Rivers State is ranked second place, with unemployment in the region at 43.7%, and underemployment at 19.8%. 1,714,189 residents were recorded as unemployed, with a total labour force of 3,921,860.
Yet, I am open to learn. So, if you can help, please help explain how these numbers could be possible under any scenario. I hope to read you.
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Their was no total lockdown in the North and many South south had their business locked down , the North went back to the farms while people at the South south where at home with zero productivity . The NBS data is the most accurate data you can get in Nigeria .
My response: This seems to be a really good reason. I think you have a point here: no lockdown in the North while the South had lockdown. Yet, why the exception to SouthWest which I guess was also locked down?
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Who even know how to collect unemployment data in Nigeria? If anyone knows, I would like to know the number of unemployed people in my estate or village. We have no clue of our true population figure, but magically we know unemployment rate? In a country with only about 40 million unique account numbers, but we somewhat know how many jobless people we have in the land? I am really curious about figuring out how NBS draws up its numbers, I will certainly have hundreds of questions to ask about them.
Now there is highest unemployment rate in southsouth, followed by southeast, are we going ship more jobs or money in those areas? Of course our development planning is more about quota system than areas of needs, so it’s hopeless to expect anything good to come of these revelations.
Now we know that almost thirty percent of the supposed working population are unemployed, can we now start creating jobs, or we are thinking of sharing money to all of them?
It takes so much bravery to be a Nigerian.