Unemployed Nigerians" and the N5000 Social Safety Net. Matters Arising

By Festus Fifen.

Its been a while since I penciled something on this blog not because there are no issues to write on, but because so many people have turn the new media popularly called social media to a medium they use to churn  out so many un verified speculation and disinformation which has now made it difficult to know who is right or wrong. But that's a story for another day.

The visit of the International Monetary Fund IMF Boss Christine Laggard  played up one issue that has plagued Nigeria as a nation for a very long time, that's the issue of who is a Nigerian? What is  the actual  population this geographical milieu called  Nigeria? How many are Employed, unemployed or under employed? How many of belongs to the lower class, middle class or High class as the case maybe? What is the actual number of those living below this over used cliché of 'living below a dollar per day?' What's the percent of the skilled artisans that we have in our workforce? You will agree with me that the answer to all these questions would have been easy if we had a comprehensive Data base of who is who in Nigeria. 

Speaking with the Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki,on her official visit to the National Assembly  the IMF Boss Christine Laggard said and I quote " as a former finance minister I know it is very difficult to account for subsidy payments, Nigeria can adopt direct cash transfers to these poor and vulnerable group of people who are assumed to benefit from these subsidies,  so we don't further enrich the rich to the detriment of the poor in the society" 

When I heard this, the N5000 stipend social safty net  for unemployed Nigerians by the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration came to mind and I begin to ask myself who are the people that will be entitled to this N5000? How will they be selected since we don't have a comprehensive data base of who is who in the country? Which data base will Those saddled with the execution of the project depend on? there is NIMC data base, Immigration and  Road safty have theirs just to mention a few. 

Growing up as a child, the National Directorate of Employment NDE popularly called the  Labour House then is where you register if in need of a job. Today, that directorate only operates in Name (I stand to be corrected) since getting a job in Nigeria most times is based on Man know Man. MKM for short.

You will agree with me that it will not be out of place to say this administration is sitting on a "Long thing" if I am to use the language of Dbanj the koko master" as far as the N5000 stipend is concerned.

First the issue of a data base should be put to rest with a proper un bias human, intellectual  and property censors that will give Nigeria as a nation its true population which will facilitate planning and execution of government policies. 

Until nigeria takes that giant step, as a nation, our policies will become just another statement that will not be implemented at the end of every 4 years or 8 as the case may be. Our family budget is based on the Number of wives, children and dependants  factored in. Developed Nations of the World depend on on statistics for planning Nigeria as a country cannot be an exception.