Some 33 million Nigerians, out of the country’s population of 150 million, are jobless, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The local media Thursday quoted the Statistician General of the Federation, Dr. Yemi Kale – who heads the NBS – as saying in the capital city of Abuja that the figure was the latest available in the country.
Dr. Kale said the NBS had developed a system through which the number of jobs created in the country would be known, so as to keep a tab on the unemployment situation.
On inflation rate, the NBS boss said inflation was maintained at a single digit during the month of August, with the year-on-year Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising by 9.3 per cent.
“The monthly change in the CPI was 1.67 per cent in July 2011. The all items year-on-year average consumer price level for urban and rural dwellers rose by 7.1 per cent and 11.1 per cent respectively. With respect to 12-month moving average, the CPI change is 11.6 per cent, which is slightly lower than the figure in July which was 12 per cent.”
On food inflation, he said the average change in prices on a year-on-year basis was 8.7 per cent, 2.7 per cent on a month-on-month basis and 11.6 per cent on a 12-month moving average basis.
He said core inflation, which is all items less farm produce, stood at 10.9 per cent on a year-on-year basis, 12 per cent on a 12-month moving average basis and 0.9 per cent on a month-by-month basis.
Dr. Kale noted that agriculture remained the largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 41.49 per cent in the second quarter, compared to 42.32 per cent in the second quarter of 2010.
Similarly, wholesale and retail trade account for 16.75 per cent.
He said crude petroleum and natural gas contributed to 14.84 per cent, and manufacturing contributed 3.91 per cent in the second quarter of 2011.