Minister of labour and employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, says the correct number of unemployed Nigerians will soon be made available to the public.

Mr Dingyadi stated this on Monday when he appeared before the Senate committee on employment, labour and productivity, chaired by Sen. Diket Plang (APC-Plateau).

He also promised that the ministry was making frantic efforts to tackle unemployment in the country.

When asked about the unemployment statistics in the country, Mr Dingyadi said that he would not want to give figures that he wasn’t sure of.

“We didn’t know that this question was going to be asked. 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 was going to be asked,” he said.

Mr Dingyadi, who said that he was barely three months old in office, mentioned that no time was being spared in fighting unemployment.

“We have, each and every hour, been fighting unemployment in the ministry because that is our key assignment.

“All the skill development programmes that our ministry is undertaking, we are doing them to fight unemployment.

“This is our major responsibility. And like I said, we are on top of the situation to ensure that we fight unemployment to the finish,” he said.

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

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

“The recent implementation of the new national minimum wage, which took effect on July 29, 2024, is a testament to this commitment.

“Our budget allocation, which has been slightly reviewed upward compared to the 2024 Budget Act, will support the ministry’s efforts to ensure that workers receive fair compensation,” Mr Plang said.

(NAN)