Jonathan pledges 2 million jobs annually if re-elected

                   

President Goodluck Jonathan has promised two million jobs yearly if re-elected into office. Mr. Jonathan spoke Monday in Ibadan, Oyo State, were he met supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of the February 14 election. The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, quoted the president as saying he will generate jobs for the teeming unemployed population in Nigeria.

He did not say how that will happen, after largely failing to provide as many jobs in the last six years as president. Besides corruption and insecurity, the Jonathan administration is persistently criticised over the huge unemployed population in the country.

The government has always pointed to its Small and Medium Scale support programme, Youwin, which gives grants to only 1,200 people yearly.

The government says the programme has engaged hundreds of thousands, a figure that has been questioned.
The government has also failed to defend its claim that it created 1.6 million jobs in 2013.

At the Ibadan campaign, Mr. Jonathan also lauded South-West leaders for promoting equity, human rights, saying he will continue to respect and work with people from the zone.

The president also said the votes of Nigerian women will either liberate or sanction them to the kitchen, urging women to vote for PDP.