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NBS says Economy Created 2.5m Jobs in Two Years
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) yesterday said the Nigerian economy created a total of 2.48 million new jobs between July 2012 and June this year.
Dr. Yemi Kale, statistician general for the Federation and chief executive of the NBS, gave the figure in Abuja while speaking at a workshop on the review of definition and methodology for computing unemployment statistics in Nigeria.
A breakdown of the figure revealed that the highest number of jobs was created in the informal sector with 1.41 million, while the formal sector with 903,804 jobs and public institutions with 160,591 jobs followed respectively.
Further analysis of the jobs created in the economy revealed that 427,296 and 385,913 jobs were created in the third and fourth quarters of 2012.
For the first, second, third and fourth quarters of 2013, the bureau put the new jobs created at 431,021; 221,054; 245,989 and 265,702 respectively.
In the first and second quarters of this year, it said 240,871 and 259,353 new jobs were created respectively in various sectors of the economy.
Kale, while giving more details on the jobs created within the first quarter of this year said, “In the first quarter of 2014, the formal sector recorded 76,018 new jobs; informal recorded 158,894 new jobs, while the public sector recorded 5,959 new jobs.
“The total new jobs for quarter one of 2014 was therefore 240,871. This is a decrease by 10.3 per cent from the previous quarter, which recorded 265,702 jobs and lower than the 431,021 jobs created in the corresponding quarter of 2013.”
He said the jobs created in the formal sector in the first quarter of 2014 was also lower than the number of jobs created in the previous quarter at 101,597 and the corresponding quarter in 2013 at 174,326.
The education (private) sector, he noted, dominated the formal sector with the most number of jobs, accounting for 23,643 jobs or 31 per cent of the total share.
This, according to him, was followed by manufacturing with 11,088 jobs representing 14.6 per cent.
“Electricity, gas steam, and air conditioning supply sector, (12 jobs) and water supply, sewage, waste management and remediation sector (12 jobs) created the least jobs in the first quarter 2013,” he added.
For the second quarter of 2014, the NBS boss said the formal sector recorded 78,755 new jobs, the informal recorded 175,786 while the public sector had 4,812 new jobs.
He said as was the case with the first quarter, the education and manufacturing sectors dominated the formal sector with the most number of jobs, accounting for 29,060 or 36.9 per cent and 11,138 or 14.14 per cent respectively.
He said telecommunications and information services sector with 12 new jobs and the accommodation and food services sectors with 57 fresh jobs had the least share of jobs created in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Kale at the event inaugurated a committee to review the methodology for computing unemployment statistics in Nigeria.
The committee, according to him, would deliberate on the current definition of unemployment as applied by NBS as well as propose a most suitable definition for the Nigerian environment, while still satisfying international best practice.
He said the review became imperative since the 40-hour a week definition of employment was no longer adequate as it negates the definition of International Labour Organisation.
The ILO defines employment as persons in the labour force who have been employed for at least one hour in a week.
Kale said, “Using ILO definition strictly, unemployment rate in Nigeria for 2011 will be 2.2 per cent.
“Using NBS’s adjusted definition of unemployment, Nigeria’s unemployment rate stood at 23.9 per cent in 2011.
“Unfortunately, NBS definition also presents challenges. If you work for 39 hours a week, you will be classified as unemployed who is also inadequate.”
The committee to be headed by Prof Sarah Anyanwu has representatives from the Central Bank of Nigeria, National Planning Commission, Federal Ministry of Finance, Agriculture, and Labour among there as members.
National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the nationwide digital registration of births and deaths under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system to strengthen legal identity management and improve demographic data.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lokoja on Tuesday, Mr Afolabi Yori, federal commissioner representing Kogi, said the initiative became operational nationwide on July 1, through the VitalReg platform.
Yori described the development as a landmark in Nigeria’s civil registration system, noting that it would modernise birth and death registration through a technology-driven platform that meets international standards.
He said the digital platform would improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure that every birth and death occurring in Nigeria was accurately documented and securely stored.
According to him, civil registration is more than an administrative process, as it provides reliable statistics that support public policy formulation, resource allocation and national development planning.
“Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions of births and deaths remain unregistered.
“Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent,” he said.
The commissioner said that the commission had established 4,011 functional registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and was working to expand the number to about 8,000.
He added that the commission was strengthening collaboration with stakeholders to improve the capacity of registration personnel and ensure prompt documentation of vital events through the VitalReg platform.
Yori said the platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, and reduce paperwork, waiting time and unnecessary travel.
He disclosed that the platform was being operated under a Public-Private Partnership with Barnks-forte Technologies Ltd. as the commission’s technical partner to ensure system availability, cybersecurity and continuous technological improvement.
He called on parents, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support the initiative by encouraging the prompt registration of births and deaths.
Earlier, Samuel Omonakpeme, director in Kogi, NPC State, described the commencement of the digital registration system as another milestone in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
Omonakpeme stated that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16.9, which seeks to provide legal identity for all.
He appreciated the Federal Government, the leadership of the commission, UNICEF and other development partners for supporting the implementation of the initiative.
The state director also urged parents, guardians, health institutions, community leaders, religious organisations and the media to mobilise public support for the timely registration of all births and deaths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that ICT personnel of the commission, led by Ehimoni Kolawole, conducted a live demonstration of the digital birth registration process using the VitalReg platform.
The demonstration showed that the registration process captures the biodata of both parents, while at least one parent must possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN) to complete the registration of a newborn.
Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has alerted its customers to a fraudulent message circulating on social media, falsely claiming that electricity consumers can receive an additional 20 per cent bonus units when recharging their prepaid meters through unofficial channels.
In a statement issued by the company’s management on Monday, YEDC described the claim as false and urged customers to disregard the misleading information, stressing that it did not originate from the company.
According to the statement, YEDC does not offer bonus electricity units through individuals, agents, personal bank accounts, phone numbers, or social media contacts.
The company advised customers to purchase electricity tokens only through approved cashless payment platforms, including the YEDC Pay App, OPay, Interswitch, and other authorised vending channels, or to visit the nearest YEDC office for assistance.
YEDC also cautioned customers against sharing their meter details or personal information, or making payments to unauthorised persons claiming to represent the company.
The company further urged customers to rely exclusively on information disseminated through its official communication channels to avoid falling victim to fraud.
The management thanked customers for their continued cooperation and reaffirmed its commitment to serving them.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that two foreign currency accounts opened in connection with the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) have remained inactive since their creation, with no funds deposited and no transactions recorded.
The revelation emerged on Monday during the ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing the circumstances surrounding the establishment and operations of the council.
Lawmakers are investigating allegations that the PFIPC was created and operated without a valid legal framework and outside the established procedures required for government agencies and institutions.
Appearing before the committee, representatives of both the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) distanced their institutions from the establishment of the council.
The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation stated that it neither created the council nor possessed the constitutional authority to establish federal agencies.
Representing the office, officials explained that the OHCSF is only responsible for approving administrative structures of government agencies after all necessary requirements have been fulfilled.
According to the office, records showed that the council submitted a request on August 6, 2025, seeking approval for its organisational structure.
However, the application was not approved because the required supporting documents were not attached.
The committee heard that despite the rejection of the request, officials linked to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC)/PFIPC later appeared during the 2025 manpower budget defence exercise and sought approval for staffing and recruitment arrangements.
The office disclosed that the council informed government officials that its activities were being carried out largely through personnel seconded or deployed from other institutions.
Lawmakers were told that the council requested approval for a total of 314 positions. The figure consisted of 14 existing officers and an additional 300 proposed positions.
The Office of the Head of the Civil Service further revealed that concerns later arose regarding documents presented by the council as evidence of its legal backing.
Officials told the committee that upon examination, the documents failed to display essential features expected of an enabling law or valid legal instrument establishing a government body.
Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, head of the Civil Service of the Federation, also rejected claims that her office deployed civil servants to work for the council.
She maintained that the office did not assign personnel to the body and did not provide office accommodation for its operations.
According to her, matters relating to the creation, supervision and oversight of government agencies fall under the responsibilities of other relevant institutions, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The Central Bank of Nigeria also provided details regarding accounts linked to the council.Nigerian current events
Hamisu Abdullahi, director at the apex bank, who represented the CBN Governor before the committee, explained that the bank opened two foreign currency accounts following a formal request from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
He told lawmakers that the request was received on July 30, 2025, and instructed the bank to create a United States dollar domiciliary account and a Pound Sterling domiciliary account.
Abdullahi stressed that the CBN only opens accounts for government agencies after receiving official authorisation from the Accountant-General’s office.
However, he disclosed that the accounts never became operational because the council failed to provide authorised signatories required for activation.
As a result, both accounts remained dormant from the day they were opened.
He informed the committee that neither account had received deposits nor processed withdrawals. The accounts also recorded no foreign exchange allocations, remittances, inflows or outflows.Governor election news
According to him, the balances in both accounts remain at zero.
The CBN official further stated that the council did not engage directly with the apex bank regarding the management or operation of the accounts after they were created.
Following the submissions, members of the committee demanded more information as part of efforts to determine the full scope of the council’s activities.
Hon. Abdulmalik Danga, chairman of the committee, directed the Central Bank to submit comprehensive records relating to both the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
The committee requested details covering the opening of the accounts, their operational history and any information connected to related banking activities.
Lawmakers also instructed the CBN to work with commercial banks to identify and provide records of any accounts linked to the entities under investigation.
However, the committee is expected to continue its hearings as more government agencies and officials appear before lawmakers to provide explanations on the controversial council and the circumstances surrounding its operations.
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