By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) – Nigeria’s government is touting an online application to engage at least 300,000 workers, bringing to 500,000 the number of jobs created by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Akpandem James, spokesman for the minister of budget and national planning, said on Tuesday that the government has made provisions for jobs in the fiscal plan recently assented to by acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
“The … application portal has opened for registration for the next batch of beneficiaries. Registration will close on July 13,” he said.
“The first round of recruitments enrolled 200,000 beneficiaries; this second round will add another 300,000,” he added.
Blamed primarily on sagging oil prices, the lack of savings, government flip-flops, and violence in the oil-rich delta region, in 2016 the West African country’s economy entered its worst recession in the last three decades. Nearly 2 million jobs were reportedly lost in the last two years.
But James said the economy is on its way to full recovery with headline inflation dropping to 16.25 percent for the fourth consecutive month in May and key sectors of the economy like manufacturing showing fast recovery.
The bureau of statistics says the economy will be out of recession by 2018, he added.
