Jobs/Appointments
Nigeria’s Unemployment Rate Hits 4.2% in Q2 2023
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s unemployment rate increased to 4.2 per cent in Q2 2023 from the 4.1 per cent recorded in Q1 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS said this in its Nigeria Labour Force Survey for Q2 2023, released on Thursday.
Recall that the NBS on April 20, 2023, made adjustments to how the labour force figures would be calculated moving forward. The agency adopted global standards as its new method and this crashed the rate from a high of 33.3 per cent released in 2020.
According to the new measures, the unemployment rate is defined as the share of the labour force who are not employed but who are actively searching and available for work.
The bureau said the unemployment rate among youth aged (15-24 years) in Q2 2023 was 7.2 per cent compared to the 6.9 per cent recorded in Q1 2023, adding that the unemployment rate among men was 3.5 per cent and 5.9 per cent among women in Q2 2023.
The unemployment rate in urban areas was 5.9 per cent in Q2 2023, which was an increase from the 5.4 per cent recorded in Q1 2023.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in rural areas was 2.5 per cent in Q2 2023, which was a decline from the 2.9 per cent recorded in Q1 2023.
In terms of educational attainment, the report said the rate of unemployment among persons with post-secondary education was 8.0 per cent in Q2 2023.
“Those with upper secondary education was 5.4 per cent, while those with lower secondary education was 3.7 per cent, 3.0 per cent for those with primary education and 2.5 per cent for those with no formal education,” it stated.
The NBS also said time-related underemployment in Q2 2023 was 11.8 per cent compared to 12.2 per cent recorded in Q1 2023.
It said time-related underemployment rate was the share of employed people who were working less than 40 hours per week, but who would be willing and available to work more.
The share of employed men that were underemployed was 8.4 per cent while the share of employed women that were underemployed was 15.3 per cent in Q2 2023.
The underemployment rate was 10.3 per cent in urban areas and 13.2 per cent in rural areas.
The NBS said the share of employed persons aged 15 to 24 years that were underemployed was 19.3 per cent.
The report said the combined rate of unemployment and time-related underemployment as a share of the labour force population (LU2) was 15.5 per cent in Q2 2023.
The NBS said the labour force participation rate among the working-age population in Nigeria was 80 per cent in Q2 2023 compared to 79.9 recorded in Q1 2023.
The report said the participation rate among men was 82.1 per cent while for women it was 78.8 per cent. The participation rate was 78.4 per cent in urban areas and 82.6 per cent in rural areas in Q2 2023.
According to the report, the employment-to-population ratio, which was the proportion of the working-age population that was employed was 77.1 per cent in Q2 2023.
The report said the employment-to-population ratio for men and women was 79.3 per cent and 74.9 per cent, respectively.
The employment-to-population ratio in urban areas was 73.8 per cent compared to 80.5 per cent in rural areas in Q2 2023.
The report said 88.0 per cent of employed Nigerians were primarily self-employed with the remaining 12.0 per cent engaged as employees(wage employment) in Q2 2023.
It said 85.2 per cent of employed men were self-employed, while 91.0 per cent of employed women were self-employed.
“While men and women engaged as employees(wage employment) was reported at 14.8 per cent and 9.0 per cent, respectively,” the report showed.
The report said 8.0 per cent of the working-age population were in subsistence agriculture.
The NBS said the informal employment rate in Q2 2023 was 92.7 per cent.
It said in Q2 2023, the percentage of youth (15-24 years) identified as Young Persons Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) was 13.8 per cent.
“This is an increase from the 12.1 per cent and 10.0 per cent recorded in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023, respectively,” the NBS said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS) has announced the appointment of Mr Shehu Yahaya Shantali as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective January 1, 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
Mr Shantali will succeed Mr Haruna Jalo-Waziri, who will step down after an eight-year tenure, where he contributed significantly to advancing Nigeria’s capital market infrastructure.
During his tenure, Mr Jalo-Waziri provided visionary and results-driven leadership that delivered sustained growth and far-reaching transformation across the organisation.
He led the successful execution of critical strategic initiatives, strengthened governance and operational effectiveness, and modernised the company’s systems and processes, positioning the organisation for long-term resilience and competitiveness.
His leadership significantly enhanced stakeholder confidence, deepened the organisation’s market relevance both domestically and internationally, and established a strong, future-ready foundation for continued success.
Commenting on the appointment, the Chairman of the CSCS board, Mr Temi Popoola, said: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to express our profound appreciation to Haruna Jalo-Waziri for his outstanding service to CSCS. Under his leadership, the company recorded notable milestones and built an impressive legacy of operational excellence, innovation, and stakeholder confidence. We thank him sincerely for his dedication and impact.
“We are equally delighted to welcome Shehu Shantali as the new Chief Executive Officer of CSCS. He brings a wealth of experience, deep industry knowledge, and a strong strategic vision. The Board is confident that he will build on the solid foundation laid by his predecessor and lead the Company into its next phase of growth.”
Mr Shehu Yahaya Shantali holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and an Executive MBA from Kingston Business School. He has over two decades of experience in accounting, finance, and financial services across Nigeria and the United Kingdom, with expertise spanning investment and asset management, financial advisory, and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
His career cuts across capital markets, investment banking, real estate, and financial services, and is underpinned by a decade at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria, where he championed the migration of publicly listed and significant public interest entities from Nigerian GAAP to IFRS and led the Commission’s transition to the contributory pension scheme in 2012.
Mr Shantali has built deep experience in financial inclusion, digital financial infrastructure, and the development of scalable, market-wide platforms that expand access to regulated financial services. As Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Apricot Investments Limited, he led the development of the MicroWorld platform, enabling the distribution of structured financial products, including micro-health, micro-pension, micro-housing, micro-insurance, and micro-investment solutions.
Earlier in his career, his team developed Nigeria’s first contactless payment solution, and he played a pioneering role in POS-based agency banking and early mobile-money interoperability on the NIBSS NIP platform, supporting efficient payments, settlement, and system-wide connectivity.
Reflecting on his tenure, the outgoing CEO, Mr Jalo-Waziri, stated: “It has been an honour to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of CSCS. I am proud of what we have achieved together as a team and grateful for the support of the Board, management, regulators, and all our stakeholders. I am confident that CSCS is well-positioned for the future, and I wish my successor every success as he takes the company forward.
In his remarks, the incoming CEO, Mr Shantali, said: “I am deeply honoured by the confidence the Board has placed in me with this appointment. CSCS plays a critical role in Nigeria’s capital market ecosystem, and I look forward to working with the Board, management, staff, regulators, and market participants to strengthen the Company’s leadership position further, deliver value to stakeholders, and support the continued growth and stability of the capital market.”
In a statement, CSCS Plc commended Mr Jalo-Waziri for his contributions to enhancing the company’s operational capabilities and fostering market development during his tenure with the organisation.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance, operational excellence, and stakeholder engagement as it continues to support the Nigerian capital market.
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has approved the reconstitution of the board of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), following the Senate’s confirmation of its members on December 16.
This was disclosed in a statement released by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
He noted that the board is chaired by Mr Musiliu Olalekan Oseni, who started his service as a Commissioner in January 2017. He was subsequently appointed Vice Chairman of the commission.
His appointment as Chairman took effect from December 1, 2025, and shall subsist until the completion of his ten-year tenure at the commission, in accordance with the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2023.
Mr Yusuf Ali is now the Vice Chairman. He was first appointed as a Commissioner in February 2022. His designation as Vice Chairman took effect on 1 December 2025 and shall remain in effect until the completion of his first term.
The others are; Mr Nathan Rogers Shatti — Commissioner. He is serving a second term as commissioner. He was first appointed in January 2017.
Mr Dafe Akpeneye — Commissioner. He is serving a second term, having been first appointed as a Commissioner in January 2017.
Mrs Aisha Mahmud Kanti Bello — Commissioner. She is serving her second term, having been first appointed as a Commissioner in December 2020.
Mr Chidi Ike, PhD— Commissioner. He is serving his first term, having been first appointed as a Commissioner in February 2022.
Mr Fouad Animashaun, PhD — Commissioner. He is serving his first term, effective December 2025. He is an energy economist with extensive experience in the Nigerian power sector and most recently served as Executive Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
President Tinubu charged the board members of NERC to deepen and consolidate the ongoing transformation of Nigeria’s power sector, in strict alignment with the letter and spirit of the Electricity Act, 2023.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed, has resigned alongside his counterpart at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr Gbenga Komolafe.
Based on the development, President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to confirm new chief executives for the two agencies.
The President’s request was contained in separate letters to the Senate on Wednesday, according to a statement signed by Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, late on Wednesday.
Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Mr Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.
Mr Ahmed’s resignation comes amid a high-profile conflict with businessman, Mr Aliko Dangote, who alleged that the NMDPRA chief and his family were living beyond their legitimate means, citing millions of Dollars allegedly spent on overseas schooling for his four children.
Mr Eyesan, a graduate of Economics from the University of Benin, spent nearly 33 years with the NNPC and its subsidiaries. She retired as Executive Vice President, Upstream (2023–2024), and previously served as Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at NNPC from 2019 to 2023.
Mr Mohammed, born in 1957 in Gombe, graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering. He was announced today as an independent non-executive director at Seplat Energy.
His prior roles include Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company and Nigerian Gas Company, as well as Chair of the boards of West African Gas Pipeline Company, Nigeria LNG subsidiaries, and NNPC Retail.
He also served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power Directorate, where he provided strategic leadership for major gas projects and policy frameworks, including the Gas Masterplan, Gas Network Code, and contributions to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
He played a pivotal role in delivering key projects such as the Escravos–Lagos Pipeline Expansion, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, and Nigeria LNG Train.
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