By Dennis Udoma, Uyo
The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has continued to receive knocks from experts over its faulty rating of Akwa Ibom in the unemployment ranking as second highest in the country.
The latest knock comes from Nigerian – American Environmental Scientist, Professor Hilary Inyang who dismissed the (NBS) claim as faulty and unacceptable.
Inyang, who is a US Distinguished Scholar to Ethiopia said, the unemployment rating of Nigeria by the NBS was based on ‘‘Scoping Method’’ aimed at achieving a mission that was strange to conventional scientific and statistical research methods.
Speaking at a news conference in Uyo, the African Academy of Science Fellow, former Duke’s Energy Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering/ Science and Director, Global Institute of Energy and Environmental Systems, North Carolina, Charlotte, USA argued that, the NBS survey was flawed in conclusions on the true status of employment rates in all Nigerian states including Akwa Ibom.
He also maintained that, errors were much more in the interpretation and use of results, than in the ranking of data derived from the scoping study, noting that, a study that was based on sample of less than 0.088 percent of Nigeria’s population by Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI), was inadequate for use in rankings and appreciation of true circumstances of employment in Nigeria.
‘‘The study covered only 18,500 households out of Nigeria’s total population figure of about 210 million and captured second quarter of the year. Such study was lacking in merit for national planning’’, adding that, the scoping approach used in the study by NBS was unacceptable for an impact survey required for economic growth and development.
Professor Inyang, who had served as Judge of the US Energy Regulatory Commission said, the survey estimated Akwa Ibom unemployment rate at 42.5 percent making the state, second out of 36 states in Nigeria.
He described the 18,500 households sample size used by the NBS nationwide as robust adding that, “from the World Bank data, the calculated unemployment rate in Akwa Ibom State in 2011 was 3.026 percent.
‘‘With many industries established in Akwa Ibom State within the past 8 years such that, rather than decrease, employment rate was increasing taking into account enlargement of the population.
‘‘Akwa Ibom State has much smaller population than other states and, has established industries at a faster pace since 2011 when the quoted study was performed, and there is no catastrophe that befell Akwa Ibom to the exclusion of other states that have been adjudged to have by-passed her’’.
