The unemployment rate in Edo dropped from 25.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2018 to 19 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.
A statement by Mr Chris Nehikhare, the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benin on Friday, said this.
The statement was credited to Mr Crusoe Osagie, the Special Adviser to Gov. Godwin Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy.
Osagie said that the new data were released by Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
He said that the 6.1 per cent drop was attributed to the job creation drive of the Obaseki administration whose job creation agency, Edo State Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs), was credited to have created over 170,000 jobs through innovative programmes in the last three and half years.
Osagie also said that according to the NBS report, the state had the lowest unemployment figure in the South-south region, bettering five other oil-rich states in the region.
“The unemployment rate among states in the South-south is as follows: Akwa-Ibom 45.2 per cent, Bayelsa 27.8 per cent, Cross River 31.6 per cent, Delta 40.3 per cent, Rivers State 43.7 and Edo 19 per cent,” he said.
Osagie said that the NBS reported that of the 1,985,765 labour force in Edo, 916,871 people were fully employed and worked for over 40 hours.
About 692,160 worked for 20 hours to 39 hours, 143,026 worked for one hour to 19 hours, 233,228 worked for zero hours and 376,994 were unemployed.
Osagie said that the new figures validated the data provided by EdoJobs, which he said, had been vetted by several independent research outfits.
He said that the Obaseki administration was data-driven which informed its policy thrusts and influenced the outcomes of its reforms across different sectors of the state.
“We are very elated by the latest data from the NBS as it validates the records published by EdoJobs.
“We are very modest about our achievements and let the data and impact do the talking. We undertook a holistic approach in resetting the economy, which is now evident for all to see.
“We are not resting on our oars.
“As we move closer to the 2020 election, Edo people must be reminded that Obaseki has kept to his promise to create the enabling environment to create jobs and we would continue to expand the frontiers for more jobs to be created with the coming on stream of more industrial projects which would reinvigorate the state’s economy.
“Certainly, Resetting Edo is on course,” he said.
