If the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is to be believed, the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not created a single job for any Nigerian in its 15 years in power. As implausible as this sounds, the PDP, in its defence, often only says it has created millions of jobs, a claim that the APC, not unexpectedly, rejects. It is therefore incumbent on Nigerians to ignore the propaganda from both sides, and determine what the facts are with regards to job creation.

Whether it is one job for one individual or millions of jobs for millions of people, jobs are not created in a vacuum. Jobs are created to either propel the process of production in a specific industry, or to provide a required service. As such, it should be relatively easy to determine where jobs have been created once a fact-based study of the different industry sectors is carried out.

On the face of it, the charge from the APC that the PDP has not provided any new jobs in its 15 years in power is obviously not true. One industry that readily gives the lie to APC’s assertion is the telecoms industry. Before the advent of the first PDP government in 1999, official statistics placed the number of telephone lines in Nigeria at 492,000 out of an installed capacity for 700,000 lines. Today, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reports 133,282,003 active telephone lines in Nigeria as of August 2014. It is impossible that such a massive leap in telephone connectivity could have occurred without triggering a corresponding increase in the number of jobs in the industry.

Indeed, apart from the engineers needed to run the sophisticated telecoms equipment, support staff from human resources personnel through accountants to customer service executives, etc, now work in the industry. Moreover, as is the case with virtually any industry, massive growth in the telecoms industry has triggered a supply chain multiplier effect which translates to unquantifiable number of jobs. These range from workers needed to build base stations right down to street corner vendors who live on the commissions from selling the airtime cards printed by the telecoms companies.

Agriculture has also received a visible boost during the Jonathan administration. This is reflected in the fact that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has presented Nigeria with an award for achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on Hunger three years ahead of the 2015 target date set for the MDG. To be fair, the FAO award did not come by happenstance. Government policies in the agriculture sector made achieving the MDG on Hunger ahead of schedule possible. It is safe to assume that since crops do not grow or harvest themselves, nor do animals rear themselves, the policies of government must have engendered the creation of jobs.

As a matter of fact, President Jonathan said in his 2014 Independence Day Broadcast that his administration is developing Nigeria’s water resources in order to bolster food production and job creation. Additionally, the construction of nine dams across the country in 2013 increased the volume of water reservoirs by 422 million cubic metres. Jonathan further reported that, “Through our irrigation and drainage programme, we have increased the total irrigated area by over 31,000 hectares creating jobs for over 75,000 farming families while increasing production of over 400,000 metric tons of assorted irrigated food products.” The average Nigerian household typically has six members, with often higher numbers in some parts of the country. But even at an average of six, new jobs for over 75,000 farming families readily translates to at least 450,000 new jobs in agriculture in 2013 alone.

Another industry that has witnessed factual phenomenal growth during the Jonathan administration is the cement industry. In 2002, Nigeria produced only 2 million metric tonnes of cement. Fast forward to 2014 and Nigeria has a cement production capacity of 28.5 million metric tonnes. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, recently gave specific figures about the jobs in the cement production. He said, “In 2011, the ministry could only account for 600,000 jobs in cement production but now the ministry can account for over 2.3 million jobs.”

Aganga also gave figures for the sugar industry. According to him, “In the sugar industry, the number of jobs in 2011 before President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was 3,860 but today, we have about 180,000 jobs.” Aganga explained how the growth was achieved. “Investment in sugarcane was 100 million dollars before President Jonathan came on board but today, it has hit N3.2 billion,” he said.

In the same vein, the Minister for Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is also the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, has equally reported some significant job figures. In early 2014 while discussing matters of youth development in the Northern part of the country with representatives of the Arewa Youth Forum, Okonjo-Iweala said:
“After two months of methodological work, the statisticians have come up with the data that 1.8 million people in the country enter the job market yearly.” She went on to add, “last year we were able to create 1.6 million jobs. So we are getting close to the 1.8 million that enter the job market.”

Furthermore, Okonjo-Iweala also said: “Through YouWin programme, we have had 3,600 winners, among whom 2,400 winners have created 27,000 jobs so far. Our target is to create a minimum of 80,000 jobs through this. Through SURE-P, so far we have created 120,000 jobs.”

While this is not an exhaustive list, it is clear that the APC missed it on the issue of jobs as the PDP has indeed created millions of jobs, especially under President Jonathan.

Written by Chukwuka Ezendiaru.


Source: http://thewillnigeria.com/news/opinion-fact-check-how-many-jobs-has-jonathan-created/

plus Almajiri schools

Zero Jobs. A good President like Obama actually has an office in the white house tallying jobs. And that is separate from what the economic reporting agencies do. Jonathan about two months ago was boasting about how many private jets are operating in Nigeria. He actually has the number of private jets in his head but jobs for the youth no way.

benzion72:

Telecoms job was created by GEJ lies. When we all know that the four GSM license was granted under Obasanjo.What FAO report all lies.

Read well, the writer never said it was created by gej

Telecoms job was created by GEJ lies. When we all know that the four GSM license was granted under Obasanjo.What FAO report all lies.

No doubt Gej has created more jobs compare to previous admistrations however d figures are exaggerated, d fugires given are higher than jobs created
But it doesn't mean he has not been creating jobs

What do you expect from APC shit.........

With the number of newly established university in Nigeria, is it not ppl that we work there? APC should shut up their bleeding mouth for once.

You apc asswipes( using it cos I know it's not censored on nairaland) 4 of my friends work under The surep program, so don't you guys even think of going there.

You can talk smack all you want about GEJ but don't you even think of blabbing trash about employment under goodluck. It's by far the best this country has ever seen and I'll fight anyone that says otherwise

Kennywills7:
No doubt Gej has created more jobs compare to previous admistrations however d figures are exaggerated, d fugires given are higher than jobs created
But it doesn't mean he has not been creating jobs

It is not exclusively in direct civil service employment but in the private sector.

Even within the security arms, this administration has had to reduce recruit training period from 6 months to 4 months in order to meet the man power back log in the army. That alone are testament to job creations

PvtParts:


It is not exclusively in direct civil service employment but in the private sector.

Even within the security arms, this administration has had to reduce recruit training period from 6 months to 4 months in order to meet the man power back log in the army. That alone are testament to job creations

No doubt bro
I wonder y dis man is still d most criticise,insulted,hate & underrated president in africa even he has done more compare to previous presidents & head of states.
There must b something dis man has taken away from d cabal dat is causing all dis problems for him!!
Nigerians should wise up

Kennywills7:

No doubt bro
I wonder y dis man is still d most criticise,insulted,hate & underrated president in africa even he has done more compare to previous presidents & head of states.
There must b something dis man has taken away from d cabal dat is causing all dis problems for him!!
Nigerians should wise up

Nigeria is full of evil people who truly do not want this country to progress for their selfish gain.

If anything at all, GEJ has surely set the standard for best president ever.

This generation is full of half wits and imbec1les to even consider Buhari as a choice.

I consider it an insult not only to all Nigerians that Buhari is still contesting the office of President but a huge insult to GEJ that he will be made to contest the office with a semi illiterate bigot!

PvtParts:


Nigeria is full of evil people who truly do not want this country to progress for their selfish gain.

If anything at all, GEJ has surely set the standard for best president ever.

This generation is full of half wits and imbec1les to even consider Buhari as a choice.

I consider it an insult not only to all Nigerians that Buhari is still contesting the office of President but a huge insult to GEJ that he will be made to contest the office with a semi illiterate bigot!

The worst part are those comparing GEJ to Obasanjo. That was when I Knew we have lost our direction as a country. 80% of the youths in this country have no brains, they want the FG to make their lives heaven on earth, when they don't even know who there LG chairman is.

It is clear this administration has refused to dance to the tune godfathers and cabals, why else would Obasanjo be so determined to ruin GEJ?

This administration isn't perfect but when that baboon faced slowpoke start criticising someone, you have to be suspicious.

When a man like Obasanjo is still respected and celebrated in some part of this country, I just bleed in my heart, but one can't blame some, it was what the media has fed them over time. It is no secret that instead of some media houses closing down, they have been revived and bought over by politicians

This thread is being avoided like plague, no surprise tho, these are facts.

President GEJ has built 3 public toilets in Anambra state and 9 indigenes of Anambra state where employed for the daily cleaning of those toilets. So by doing that, GEJ has created some jobs. True or false?