The Nation Newspaper

Category: Labour

  • Trustfund urges employees to show more interest in RSA

    Employees should show more interest in their Retiree Savings Account (RSA) to avoid disappointment after their retirement, Trustfund Pension Administrator has said.

    Speaking at a presentation on “Employers’ obligations under the Pension Reform Act 2014” in Lagos, the Regional Manager of the pension fund administrator, Obiora Ozoekwem, said employees must monitor employers to ensure that their contributions were being remitted promptly.

    He said: “Employees should have more interest in what is going on with their RSA. We’ve had a case where a retiree discovered after retirement that there was nothing in her RSA. All her savings went to her colleague who shared same name with her and, unfortunately, the person retired before her and had taken some of the money.”

    He explained that it was later resolved, but advised that, while still in service, employees should make enquiries about their savings and equally know where they stand.

    The Trustfund regional manager said it was also the duty of employers to ensure contributions into employees’ RSA, 10 per cent of employee’s monthly emolument by the employer and eight per cent of monthly emolument by the employee.

    “Those employers remitting only employees’ contributions and not theirs are culpable and will face penalty from PenCom,” he said.

    Ozoekwem noted that though the issue of remittance was improving, as the number of employers under Trustfund has increased to 718,000 by December 2018, employers were still not remitting effectively, as most of the increase in remittances came from employers paying backlogs of contributions earlier deducted from the employees’ salaries.

    He explained that every employer was expected to remit the deduction, not later than seven working days after which the employee’s salary is paid to the Pension Fund Custodian specified by the PFA of the employee.

    “An employer who fails to deduct or remit the contributions within the stipulated timeline of seven working days from the day salary is paid is in breach of Section 11(3) of the act as stated in Section 11(6),” he said.

    Ozoekwem said PenCom gets quarterly reports on employers not remitting and they shall be liable to make remittances already due and pay penalty of 2 per cent of the total contributions outstanding for each month or part of each month the default continues.

    He stated that it was also unlawful for employers to force PFAs on their employees, though employers can call for a temporary PIN for an employee who has no RSA account after six months since such employee joined the establishment without RSA account.

    On new rules that employees must comply with, the regional manager said retirement account holders were expected to submit their National Identity Number (NIM) failing which the holder would not be able to receive payment at retirement.

    On the progress involving registering informal workers in the scheme, the regional manager explained that the workers were captured, but were yet to  start remittance.

  • Fed Govt seeks collaboration to end child labour

     

    The Federal Government is seeking support of market authorities  in the battle against child labour.

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, William Alo, at a rally organised by the ministry as part of events to commemorate the World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL), said market authorities could end child labour.

    According to him, the authorities in the market can disallow child labour in markets and environs, and take steps to ensure that children are in school or get vocational training.

    Alo also urged market authorities to report incidents of child labour to the Ministry of Labour and Employment for necessary action.

    He defined child labour as “any work done in the market that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and dignity, and that is harmful to their physical, moral and mental development, such as hawking, among others.”

    He said the theme for this year’s commemoration, “Children shouldn’t work in fields but on dreams,” meant that even if children had to be in the marketplace assisting their parents/guardians, they should not be denied basic education.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Abubakar Muazu, said the adequate development of a child should be the utmost priority of any country, because children constituted the future of a people.

    He urged stakeholders to accord importance and attention to the issues of stopping child labour.

    Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar, represented by the Director, Food and Strategic Reserve, S.A. Haruna, condemned child labour, and called for proper legislation against the trend in Nigeria.

    In a related event, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has urged the international community to step up efforts to eradicate forced labour and child labour, and declared 2021 as Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.

    The UNGA adopted a resolution declaring 2021 as the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, and has asked the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to take the lead in its implementation.

    The resolution highlights the member states’ commitments “to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.”

    The UNGA acknowledged the importance of the ILO’s Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138), and the Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999 (No. 182), which is close to universal ratification by the ILO’s 187 member states – as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

    Argentina took the lead in advocating this global commitment as a follow-up to the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour, in Buenos Aires in November 2017. Seventy-eight countries co-sponsored the resolution.

    Argentina’s representative to the UN, Martin Garcia Moritán said: “We hope that this will be one more step to redouble our efforts and our progress to advance, day by day, towards a world in which no child is subjected to child labour or exploitation and a world where decent work for all will be a reality.

    “The struggle against child labour has gained extraordinary momentum over the past two decades.

    “Yet, 152 million children across the world are still in child labour. We obviously need to scale up action further, and the decision by the general assembly to declare 2021 the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour will be a great help in focusing attention on the millions of girls and boys still toiling in the fields, in the mines and in factories.”

     

  • Labour urges African leaders to emulate Mandela

    Africa needs statesmanship as offered by Nelson Mandela, if the continent must meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030, National Executive Member, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Issa Aremu, has said.

    Speaking in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, Aremu, who is also the convener of the Nelson Mandela International Day, said it was time African leaders led like the late Madiba in terms of statesmanship as distinct from what he called “current pervasive brinkmanship.

    The Nelson Mandela International Day was launched by United Nations on July 18, 2009, to commemorate Mandela. This year’s edition marked the 10th Mandela Day.

    According to Aremu, emulating Mandela’s leadership style must start with little but tangible values, such as time-consciousness and punctuality.

    He said Mandela was a stickler for punctuality. Mandela decried the concept of Africa time.

    “Africa must be time-conscious like Mandela. Africa was unable to meet most of the eight Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) launched in 2000 and terminated in 2015. For Africans to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs) of 2030, statesmanship must start with punctuality to development agenda, we must be time-conscious and get the work done at the right time and avoid proscastination,” Aremu said.

     

  • Technology redefining human capital devt, says NITAD

    The Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (NITAD) has canvassed the integration of technology in training professionals to enhance human capital development.

    Its Chairman, Annual Trainers’ Conference, Mr. Oluremi Ajalogun, who made the call at a briefing in Lagos, said the corporate world is going digital to promote effectiveness and efficiency.

    He said: “Digital transformation is the profound transformation of business and organisational activities, processes, competencies, and models, to leverage the changes and opportunities of a mix of digital technologies and their accelerating impact on learning and development in a strategic and prioritised way with the present and future.”

    Ajalogun said the society stands on the brink of a technological revolution that would fundamentally alter learning, relationship, and the workplace, noting that the response to this must be integrated and comprehensive, involving stakeholders.

    He said to enhance human capital development and boost performance in the workplace, NITAD will hold its 27th Annual Trainers’ Conference (ATC) in September at the Central Bank of Nigeria International Training Centre in Abuja.

    Ajalogun said the summit, themed: “Transforming learning and development in the digital era,” will serve as a forum for professionals and practitioners to brainstorm on strategies to compete more effectively in the digital world, delivering training means, strengthening core competencies and fostering new capabilities.

     

  • Investigative report on military cemetery untrue’

    A detailed investigative report has rubbished the Wall Street Journal’s publication about the Nigerian military’s alleged secret cemetery, describing it as a mere piece of fiction.

    A team of intellects in a GLobal think tank known as “The Global Amnesty Watch”, consisting of human rights lawyers, humanitarian workers, NGOs, journalists, academics among others came to this conclusion after embarking on a verification mission to the north-east.

    The group made the revelation at a public presentation of its two-week extensive research and investigation in Abuja on Friday.

    In a bid to unravel mysteries alleged by the US journal, the team embarked on the mission armed with all the necessary support from the relevant stakeholders, facilitating access to military bases ( Mailamari Barracks), public and military morgues, as well as unhindered access to military personnel and their families in Maimalari barracks.

    On completion of this thorough exercise, the Global Amnesty Watch concluded that the Wall Street Journal’s report is a false, misleading and not in line with the realities on the ground.

    It added that the malicious piece was aimed at painting the Nigerian military in a bad light while causing a distraction to the final onslaught on Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist confined to the fringes on the Lake Chad Basin region.

    The detailed report also commended the Nigerian authorities for drastically reducing the casualty rate for three consecutive years.

    However, the team advised the New York-based newspaper to forthwith offer an apology to Nigeria and retract its earlier mischievous report.

    Read the full report below:

    The global amnesty watch in collaboration with critical stakeholders embarked on a verification mission to northeast Nigeria under the auspices of a fact-finding committee of the global amnesty watch visited north-east Nigeria starting from strategically select communities in northern and southern Borno state, perceived as the hotbed in the ongoing battle against Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters.

    The team was also mandated to visit other select communities where heavy casualties have been recorded since the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria started. The idea was to have first-hand information in an attempt to leave the realm of speculation.

    The team was also charged with the responsibility of interacting with stakeholders in areas visited such as traditional rulers, community rulers, members of civilian task force (JTF), government agencies, non-governmental Organizations, IDPs, primary healthcare centres, government hospitals, military hospitals, military personnel’s, officials of local government areas, military cemeteries, public cemeteries, as well as civilians domiciled in the affected communities.

    The team was accompanied by a team of security operatives drawn from the Nigerian army, the Nigerian Police, the civil defence corps, and agents from the department of state security service (DSS).

    Method of Data Collection:

    The team employed the use of physical interaction and inspection of places and timeline of events in areas that have been affected in the crisis. The Team also engaged the services of indigenous interpreters to bridge the communication gaps that would arise for seamless interaction. Questionnaires were also designed in such a manner that would elicit objective responses from those to be interviewed. Video recording gadgets, as well as still cameras, were also used to capture events and places in the course of the research.

    The findings were also subjected to a series of cross-examination by a team of experts in research methodology from the University of Maiduguri.

    The Issues:

    The Wall Street released a report on the existence of mass graves where the army authorities hurriedly buried thousands of military personnel in a bid to cover up for the heavy casualties it suffered in the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist in North-East Nigeria.

    The Wall Street Journal also alleged that a large portion of land in Maimalari barracks in Maiduguri, Borno state has been fenced to serve as the burial site for over 1000 soldiers killed at the battlefront. It was also alleged that some farmland had been taken over by the military authorities and fenced from the viewing eyes of the public to serve as an extension of the secret graveyard for soldiers killed in the line of duty.

    The Wall Street Journal report also alleged that military commanders were not conversant with operational strategies which resulted in the poor coordination and the execution of the war against the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist. It also sighted poor welfare of troops, lack of fighting equipment’s as well as highly demoralized Military engaged in the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist.

    Our Findings:

    The Team of researchers after an extensive review of all the allegations contained in the report of the Wall Street Journal, the Global Amnesty Watch consequently embarked on the mission armed with all the necessary support it can get from the relevant stakeholders who facilitated access to military bases ( Mailamari Barracks), public and military morgues, as well as an unhindered access to military personnel and their families in Maimalari barracks who were granted permission to speak to the Team without fear of victimization from the military authorities.

    Secret Grave:

    The Team upon an extensive survey of Maimalari Barracks and its environs could not establish places where the secret grave is located as there were no signs of new earthwork in the area earmarked as the burial site for military personnel killed in the battlefront. The only sign of earthwork was dated June 2018 on about 20 graves with the names of the soldiers inscribed on a wooden plate stating the date of burial and name.

    The large portion of the site had been taken over by grasses as there were no signs of a pathway or recent excavation of the ground to suggest that mass burials had taken place in recent times.

    Perimeter Fencing:

    It was also discovered that as standard with military formations, the fences stand high as a defence strategy to ward off intruders into military facilities. The picture of the perimeter fencing used in the Wall Street Journal Report had been erected since 2010 in the heat of the Boko Haram crisis, and not a sign of recent construction work has noticed the length of the military facility.

    The visible addition to the perimeter fence is the erection of watch towers mounted by solders and covered with sandbags. The tour guide stated that in military formations across Nigeria, there is always a reasonable distance between it and the civilian population and Maiduguri is not an exception.

    Seized Farm Lands:

    The Team interacted with locals within the vicinity of Nigerian Army facility and it was stated that since the Boko Haram crisis started farming activities had reduced, and people are not willing to risk their lives unnecessarily. They also noted that the land in question belonged to the Nigerian Army, and they only took advantage of its vastness to cultivate crops since it was lying fallow.

    The bulk of those interviewed also stated that the Nigerian Army advised those using the Army land for farming purpose to desist from doing so after cultivation, and this message was passed to them through their district heads.

    The state ministry of Agriculture compensated those who planted economic trees and crops under the supervision of state and local government officials. It was also discovered that the issue of mass movement of corpses in the dead of night could not have been possible because the whole area is well illuminated.

    Overflowing Morgues:

    The Team visited the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital where it interacted with Military and civilian workers. From the interactions, it was gathered that the story by the Wall Street Journal was at best a fiction as there were no such cases of overflowing corpses recorded in recent times. A visit to the wards was greeted by widespread excitement from soldiers receiving treatment for various degrees of injuries.

    The bulk of those of admission were victims of landmines planted by Boko Haram terrorist in the theatre of war. The Chief Medical Director of the hospital stated that cases that cannot be handled at the hospital are transferred to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna. A total number of 64 soldiers were on admission at the time of the visit.

    The same goes for public morgues within Maiduguri metropolis. Where it was expressly stated that the Nigerian Army does not patronize the facility, but from time to time, their doctors are called upon to render assistance in areas they are experts.

    The Atmosphere in Maimalari Barracks:

    The atmosphere in Maimalari Barracks is that of the typical military formation. Families of military personnel are seen going about their regular business but for the high alert placed on security. The Team was granted permission to interact undercover without revealing the identities of those interviewed, and the issue raised mostly were the strict restrictions placed on entry and exit from the barracks by the authorities.

    Those randomly interviewed seemed confused when some of the issues alleged in the report of the Wall Street Journal were raised. Thy refuted most of the claims, especially on mass burials and wondered how such activities would happen without the news spreading around the barracks as most of their husbands are directly involved in the battlefront.

    They also stated the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA) which they belong to holds meetings regularly where issues were raised and discussed.

    Poor Decisions by Commanders:

    The allegation of a poor decision by commanders could not be verified at the officers and soldiers interviewed. The case of the General Officer Commanding 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri is that of sterling performance that culminated in a special promotion by the President from the rank of a Brigadier General to a Major General for outstanding performance and dedication to duty. The bulk of those interviewed was full of praises for the military commanders whom they described as professionals.

    Officers and soldiers corroborated this much at the battlefront in areas like Melete, Dambao, Baga, Faltori and other areas of military operations. They questioned the criteria used in arriving at the allegation of a poor decision. They stated expressly that the claim is laced with mischief with no iota of truth.

    Operations and Funding:

    The Team upon inspection of military facilities discovered that emphasis had been placed on an advanced level of security awareness. The bulk of the troops interviewed were in high spirit and exhibited the sophistication of their armoury. Serviceable military tanks were well-positioned at strategic places with tons of riffles and defence equipment.

    The Team experienced high spirits amongst the troops at the battlefront who were full of praises for the Chief of Army Staff whom they described as the father of modern Nigerian Army. They stated that Lt. Gen. TukurBuratai had been a role model and every officer and soldier of the Nigerian Army aspire to be like him.

    The stated that in the past three years, he had taken the issue of welfare of the troops seriously unlike in times past where those in the battlefront were neglected and left to their fate. His frequent visits to the theatre of operations have served as a morale booster.

    Conclusion:

    The Team concludes that the Wall Street Journal Report is a mischievous attempt at painting the Nigerian authorities in a bad light as well as causing a distraction to the final onslaught on Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist who has been confined to the fringes on the Lake Chad Basin region. It must be stated that the Team relied on first-hand knowledge and not rumours or hearsays.

    Our findings were in sharp contrast to the allegations raised in the Wall Street Journal report, such that it seems there must be a sinister motive as there are no substantial pieces of evidence to support their claims in the report.

    The Team also wondered the methodology that was employed in the compilation of the report without reference to the key actors in the war in North-East Nigeria.

    Recommendations:

    The Global Amnesty Watch in light of the following revelations make the following recommendations:

    That Wall Street Journal should tender an unreserved apology to the Nigerian authorities for the highly misleading report it issued without recourse to the sensibilities of families and relatives of those engaged in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.

    That the Wall Street Journal report is highly misleading and with no iota of truth and without any form of objectivity in the light of the fact that there are no secret graveyards anywhere in Northeast Nigeria and as such the Nigerian Authorities must begin the process of seeking redress in court against the Wall Street Journal.

    That the promoters of Wall Street Journal should as a matter of urgency publish a retraction to its earlier mischievous report, stating the accurate picture of events with regards to the operations of the Nigerian Military in North-East Nigeria.

    That the Nigerian Authorities should begin the process of scrutinizing the activities of foreign media organizations in North-East Nigeria to protect the general public from toxic information that could have far-reaching psychological effects in the polity.

    That the Nigerian Authorities must enforce a ban on the activities of the Wall Street Journal and its agents in Nigeria.

  • ITF trains 450,000 on skills acquisition

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has trained more than 450,000 Nigerians in skills acquisition programmes for employability and entrepreneurship between 2016 and 2018.

    Its Director-General, Sir Joseph Ari, disclosed this in Abuja at a news conference where he presented the ITF 2019 Skills Intervention Programme.

    According to Ari, 90 per cent of the trained Nigerians are in paid employees or entrepreneurs.

    “There is no doubt that unemployment has wrought a terrible damage on all facets of our national life. No reasonable analysis will divorce unemployment from the needless incidences of violence that have claimed thousands of lives nationwide.

    “It will equally be difficult to separate rising criminality and harmful social vices that are being perpetrated by Nigerians because of unemployment and attendant poverty.

    Read Also: Centre trains 836 women in skills

    “Consequently, our population that ordinarily should be our resources has become an albatross because we cannot provide a greater proportion of our population with a source of livelihood,” he said.

    He said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report of last quarter of 2018 revealed the level of unemployment and increase in employment between 2017 and 2018 in the country.

    “The number of Nigerians without jobs between fourth quarter of 2017 and third quarter of 2018 increased from 17.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 20.9 million in the third quarter of 2018.

    “This is despite the fact that the number of people in employment increased from 68.4 million in the third quarter of 2015 to 68.72 million in the third quarter of 2016.

    “It also increased from 69.09 million in the third quarter of 2017 to 69.53 million in the third quarter of 2018,” he said.

    According to him, the statistics are scary and staggering and should be a source of worry. He added that the Federal Government had made tremendous efforts to create jobs as reflected in the increased number of the employed as cited in the NBS report.

  • NSITF board pledges to deliver on mandate

    The new board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has promised to deliver on the vision and mission of the Fund.

    The board said high performance would be achieved in line with the provisions of the law establishing the Fund.

    Its Chairman, Austin Enejamo-Isire, said this in Lagos when the board members paid a condolence visit to the late Dr Mohammed Yinusa’s family, a member of the board who died recently.

    Until his death, Yinusa was the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) President and represented NECA on the NSITF Board.

    Enejamo-Isire, who quoted the Fund’s vision to be the “leading social security institution in Africa, leading the change agenda, social policies, economic empowerment and poverty alleviation in Nigeria, said the Board will engage more on advocacy for employers and other stakeholders to embrace the scheme.

    He said: “That is the vision of the fund; that is what this new board wants to pursue and realise, because in realising that, the mission has also stated that a deliberate proactive action in the provision of social security protection is safety net for all Nigerians.”

    He described the late Yinusa as a man with enormous capacity, huge professionalism and well-packaged in such a way that will attract anyone, and regretted that members were not able to strategise long enough in moving the board to the desired level before his sudden death.

    On more awareness for the scheme, he said: “When you propagate what is the inherent benefit in any policy; be it social or commercial, if that benefit is properly sent across to the beneficiaries, they will embrace the scheme.

    “We can only ask that the human capital content of the Fund be embedded into a team spirit for us to deliver this result. We know we are on course to delivering qualitative service to Nigerians and can set the standard for social security delivery in the African continent.

    “We will try and see how we can key into creating awareness and sending this message into the sub-consciousness of the employers, and if that is done, you need not to preach further, the people will embrace the scheme naturally.”

  • Union urges Fed Govt to tackle challenges facing construction industry

    The Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) has drawn the Federal Government’s attention to the challenges facing construction workers.

    In a statement by its National President, Comrade Isaac Egbuhara, the union said there is a need for the government to pay closer attention to activities in the industry, especially when the unemployment rate in the country is very high.

    Buttressing his views on the plight of workers in the sector, Egbuhara said:“Labour in the Construction Industry is constituted by two unions; Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) and the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture and Woodworkers (NUCECFWW), representing the interest of the senior and junior workers respectively.

    “We believe that any reform in the industry that fails to take cognisance of the roles of labour (CCESSA and UNCECFWW) and carry them along will surely not be able to achieve the desired or expected results.”

    He said it is important to note that the next in number of active employment to civil service (government employees), is the construction industry, adding that in order to harness the employment potential in the industry, the government needs to have a rethink about the industry by paying closer attention to its activities.

    Some of the challenges highlighted by the labour leader cut across non-payment of debt, abuse of employment of foreigners, organisational structure, and casualisation,  contract staffing and outsourcing and proliferation of unions in the industry.

    On the issue of non-payment of debt facing the industry, the labour leader flayed the three tiers of government for delaying payments on projects constructed for them by its affiliate construction companies.

    He said: “Although there is obvious improvement over the past three years, non-payment of debt owed to the construction companies by the Federal, state and local governments, has been one of the major challenges in the Industry.”

    He said with the efforts made to reduce the huge debts owed to the various companies, little effect has been achieved, especially when the very high interest rate charged by the banks are considered.

    Egbugara added that the much paid is swallowed in servicing loans repayment to the banks, and warned that until conscious efforts are made to encourage the repositioning of the construction industry to play its role of stimulating the economy. Employment generation, he said, may also continue in Nigeria.

    On expatriates, he said Nigeria parades a large stock of well-trained engineers, architects, surveyors, geologists, project managers and other professionals. “But multinational companies operating in this country have continued to import their nationals as expatriates,”he said.

    Egbugara emphasised that majority of the construction companies have no organisational structure, and that abnormally has continued to deny Nigerians clear career path and opportunity to grow, become project managers and directors of such companies.

    He urged the government to make it mandatory for companies to present organisational structure as pre-requisite for award of contracts and closely monitor them.

    He noted that the gap between the expatriates and their senior Nigerian counterparts is too wide. This, he said, can be seen from their salaries and other incentives, and disclosed that the most highly paid senior staff still earns far lower than the least paid expatriate.

    On casualisation, he said the harrowing experience Nigerians go through in the hands of their employers in the name of casualisation is better imagined than experienced.

     

  • 510 firms get ITF’s N6 billion reimbursement

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) paid over N6 billion as reimbursement to 510 firms in 2018, its Director-General (DG), Sir Joseph Ari.

    A breakdown of this payment include full payment for training of workforce across all cadres, acceptance of students on (Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme) SIWES.

    Speaking with The Nation, Sir Joseph, said the payment was the biggest in one year since ITF was established in 1971, adding that it is a demonstration of its commitment to reimburse its contributors.

    Ari said ITF has, within the last two years, trained and equipped over 450,000 youths on various skills acquisition programmes, through the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP).

    He said the commitment of ITF to skills acquisition was based on the fact that the Fund is the most sustainable solution to combating unemployment, reducing poverty and youth restiveness.

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    “The situation is especially worrisome, as, even in the face of vacancies in several sectors of the National economy – as revealed by surveys conducted by ITF and other organisations – youths roam the streets without any form of gainful employment, giving rise to crimes and other social vices that have beset our dear nation.

    “It is a narrative that we are determined to change by supporting the Federal Government and the states by initiating consequential skills acquisition programmes,” he said.

    He said the trainees of the phase  last year, was completed before the 2019 general elections, trained over 11,000 Nigerians in various trade areas, including welding and fibrillation, plumbing and pipe-fitting, tailoring, aluminum fibrillation and insulation, tiling, Plaster of Paris (POP) as well as photography.

    The DG said further surveys revealed that in all cases, where the trainees were provided with the kits, over 90 percent earned resealable livelihood as entrepreneurs, saying training them without equipment defeats the core objectives of the programme and the policy of the administration to create wealth and grow the economy.

  • Nigeria seeks Uniglobal’s support for new minimum wage implementation

    Organized Labour is partnering the global labour body, Uniglobal, for the implementation of the new minimum wage.

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Ayuba Wabba, made this known at the opening ceremony of the 21st Uni-Africa executive committee meeting in Lagos.

    He said the major problem facing workers was the government’s refusal to implement the new wage.

    Wabba, represented by NLC General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson, lamented that it took members of the labour movement three years to negotiate the minimum wage, which implementation was being stalled by the adjustment of the salary scales.

    Wabba, who is also the International Trade Union Congress (ITUC), said: “We must be ready for the struggle ahead and would require the support of Uniglobal in that struggle.”

    Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, urged Uniglobal to make issues affecting workers in Africa their major concern.

    “The world of work is taking a new shape and workers’body like Uniglobal needs to impress on government and employers to have human face in their policies,” he said.

    The Secretary-General, Uniglobal, Christine Hofman, who said the meeting was her first in Africa after her election last year and her first time to visit Nigeria, condemned the fact that workers had continued to struggle to win at the bargaining table or bargain at all.

    Hofman, who said membership of the global union cut across all spheres of human endeavour, also lamented what she described as shameful inequality of income and wealth.

    Read Also: TUC rejects FG circular on minimum wage implementation

    “In fact, did you know that only 28 people own half of the world’s wealth?  It will take all of us pulling together to fix these problems. And at UNI we are doing our best to play a role to turn the tide for workers,” she said.

    She stated that Uniglobal was committed to the International Labour Organisation declaration, which sees a future with social justice, human centered future, with workers and social dialogue at the core.

    She maintained that it was through organising and union power that workers’ groups can break the resistance of the multinationals and other local companies in the protection of workers right.

    “It is on all of our shoulders to safeguard dignity at work, to hold big employers accountable, to win our fair share, and to make the world a better place. We are stronger together. Together we can change the world,” she said.

    Earlier, Oyinkan Olasanoye, the  Association of Banks Insurance and Financial Institutions(ASSBIFI) President, who is also a member of the executive committee of Uniglobal Africa and the convener, said Nigeria was hosting the event for the first time in 21 years.

    She reasoned that some African countries and others outside the continent had the misconception that Nigeria was bedeviled with insecurity, which was the more reason they were invited to the country to correct the views.

    “Now that you have been here and seen things for yourself, the next time you come into the country, we will be able to shower you with more Nigerian hospitality and take you around to places of cultural interest,” she said.