Proposed Database For The Unemployed

The recent declaration by the new Minister of Labour and productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, that the Federal Government will create a database of unemployed persons is a good idea. The trouble, however is that Nigerians have heard it several times before, and it has never seemed to be able to transform itself into significant reduction in unemployment and underemployment.

There can be no doubt that the establishment of a comprehensive database of the unemployed is one of the first concrete steps towards tackling the monster of joblessness and its associated problems. As experience in other parts of the world have shown, such database offer government invaluable overview of the precise dimension of unemployment: age ranges, qualifications, location and other important demographics become immediately apparent.

The knowledge that it provides then enables government and its agencies to map out concrete strategies aimed at tackling unemployment. Instead of making projections based on inadequate statistics, for example, a database would enable prospective employees to be linked up with potential employers in a much more focused and efficient manner. Critically important segments of the workforce will be more easily identified, and would be more amendable to rapid resolution.
The main problem with the envisaged unemployment database idea is the way in which government officials too often tend to use it only as an indication that they are dealing with the problem of unemployment. Consequently, very little is heard about it once they have mentioned it. After all, there have been similar declarations in the past that unemployment databases were to be created: what happened to them?

Chief Wogu's comments on database were made during a visit by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), to his office. The timing indication that it was more an item of conversation than a statement of policy. Given Acting President Goodluck Jonathan's salutary reminder to the newly-sworn in ministers that time was of the essence, and that they produced, Wogu must realize that he does not have the time to make vague promises.

If an unemployment database of the kind he envisage is to be produced and be made operational before the tenure of Jonathan's acting presidency ends about 13 months from now, the necessary statistical, documentation and other processes must be in motion now. Nigeria is a country of an estimated 150 million people; collecting the data of its unemployed citizens will not be a child's play, and past debacles such as the national identity card registration and the census exercise cast doubt on the Federal Government's ability to rise to the occasion.

If an unemployment database is to be created with the utmost speed and efficacy, it must involve all tiers of government, and should draw upon the resources of relevant agencies, non-government organizations and international donor agencies. A body like the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has vast experience in these matters and should be involved in the creation of such a database.
Within the country, the Federal Government should liaise with state ministries of labour, as well as local government offices. The process of registering unemployed citizens should be relatively fast, troubled-free and painless: if it is characterized by long queues, bad-tempered officials and other anomalies, it will not succeed. Up-to-date information processing facilities should be used to ensure that the database if fully cross-referenced, easily searchable and freely accessible to prospective employers, regardless of where they may be in the country.