Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday hailed Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq over the positive ratings of its employment status by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBC).
In a party on Sunday by its state publicity secretary, Alhaji Tajudeen Folaran Aro, the party said the ratings clearly underscored the efforts of the Governor to reposition Kwara State for socioeconomic growth.
“On Friday, August 14th, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) rolled out employment indices for the second quarter of 2020 (April-June). In the analysis, Kwara’s unemployment rate slowed from 21.1% to 13.8% — one of the lowest in the whole of Nigeria,” the statement said.
“These statistics again underscore the superlative performance of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who continues to pull all the strings to improve the lot of Kwara people.
“We take cognisance of the fact that the low unemployment rate posted for Kwara came at the height of COVID-19 lockdown when millions of jobs were lost in Nigeria and revenue was at an all-time low.
“This was the time that the Governor vigorously committed public resources to the fight against the pandemic with the strategic engagement of local people for production of face masks, sanitisers, supply of palliatives, unabated funding of road and school rehabilitation projects across the state, patronage for local contractors, engagement of hundreds of hands for the state’s social investment programmes, payment of soft loans to various categories of people in the informal (market) sector, and constant payment of salaries to government employees. He equally ensured that major firms remain in partial operation in strict compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.
“All of these ensured minimal loss of jobs while rolling out micro-economic strategies to keep people productively engaged and tackle mass poverty.
“We congratulate the Governor for this feat and urge him to remain focused in the task of stabilising Kwara for socioeconomic development. Notwithstanding the scarcity of resources, we are confident that the state will continue to shine and regain its status nationally as the Governor continues to prioritise the welfare of the masses.”
