The Federal Government has pledged to inject more resources to rev up activities in the informal sector of the economy and further strengthen the production capacity of entrepreneurs in the Covi-19 economic recovery plan. Speaking while receiving a delegation of the Organisation of the Trade Union of West Africa (OTUWA ) in Abuja, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said this was part of the multi-pronged strategy of the Federal government to create jobs and tackle insecurity.
”In Nigeria, the fatal blow of the Covid-19 pandemic is felt more on earnings and food production. The informal economy is badly hit. This is where you have people with no tenured appointment or jobs; the partially employed, the working poor. The job losses are huge in this sector. We are therefore committing more efforts to lift millions in this bracket out of poverty. More programmes will be introduced in near future,” Ngige said in a statement issued by the Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Charles Akpan on Friday in Abuja.
The minister commended the Central Bank of Nigeria for its interventions in the government economic recovery plans, noting particularly, the recent one -year moratorium given on interests to entrepreneurs. “In Nigeria, our Central Bank has been alleviating the pains of workers in the private sector, even employers – the industrialists, who for instance have been given one year moratorium on interest on funds sourced through the CBN.
“We are focused on these programmes because we know full well, that the consequences of negative turns in the informal economy are at the base of insecurity in the country, to the extent there is no zone in Nigeria that is not affected by one insecurity problem or the other. So, the theme of the workshop by OTUWA which was on Covid-19 and the economy of the West Africa sub-region could not have come at a better time. It is a very useful step towards economic recovery and I do hope you make the conclusions from the workshop available to governments in Africa, especially our West Africa in particular, for integration into recovery plans,” Ngige said.
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The minister urged OTUWA to educate workers on the provisions of the ILO on prohibition of strike during emergencies such as the Covid-19. “We thank our labour unions for working together with us but wish to request that you educate unions, especially health workers that in the period of emergency, such as the medical emergency we are in, strikes are prohibited in line with the ILO status on rights to strike.
“The message must be delivered to the employees in the health sector as it is against ILO’s decent work agenda as well as its recommendation on emergences and natural disaster. This is the message we want you to take back to the workers in the health sector all over Africa,” he said. Senator Ngige further called for support for the Togolese, vying for the office of the Director General of the ILO, and who is already selected by the Committee on Executive Selection for ratification by the Heads of State.”
Earlier, the President of OTUWA, Mademba Sock commended Nigeria for supporting the confederation over the years. He sought the assistance of Nigeria towards an accelerated implementation of the decision of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on OTUWA in July 1986 as well as the fast forwarding of the headquarters agreement which Nigeria is yet to comply with. Mademba was accompanied on the visit by John Oda , the Executive Secretary of OTUWA, Max Conte from Sierra Leone, Alain Adikan from Niger and Precious Mbut.