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Tag: Chris Ngige

  • FG committed to promoting Social Security — Ngige

    The Federal Government is committed to promoting social security in order to eradicate poverty, ensure inclusion and address contemporary socio-economic challenges in the country.

    Sen. Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, gave the assurance during the Induction/Award of Fellows Ceremony of the Institute for Social Security Development (ISSDEV) in Abuja.

    Ngige was represented by Mrs Dorcas Ajiboye, Director, Social Security and Occupational Safety and Health, and Cooperative Development Department in the ministry.

    The minister said that the event provided the opportunity to highlight the importance of social security in enhancing socio-economic stability in the country.

    According to him, the promotion of social security “emphatically proves the commitment of the government to its change agenda in ensuring the welfare of all citizens”.

    “With the emergence of various ongoing programmes in the Social Security, Social Protection and Social Safety net, different groups of vulnerable persons, unemployed and employed Nigerians have benefited, thereby ensuring and advancing good governance.

    “Social Security is generally considered as the panacea to poverty eradication, social inclusion, peace and other contemporary socio-economic challenges.”

    Noting that social security in Nigeria is fragmented, Ngige underscored the need to sufficiently prioritise the premise on which social security is built and called for more efforts to address the noticeable gaps.

    He gave assurance of the ministry’s commitment to work with all Social Security stakeholders for greater achievements.

    “More than ever, we all need to work closely in addressing this variance.

    “It is pertinent that deliberate and dedicated support from all sides be given to achieve comprehensive social security coverage in all strata of the society,” Ngige said.

    Read Also: Teachers’ Day: NUT holds special prayers for end to Plateau killings

    Also speaking, Mr Issa Aremu, General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), noted that Nigeria was one of the few countries lagging behind on the issue of social security.

    According to Aremu, who is also the Labour Party Governorship Candidate in Kwara, described social security as a set of policies and programmes designed to reduce poverty in any country.

    “I am happy that an institute is being formed to really raise awareness towards the improvement of social security in the country.

    “We can absolutely agree that social security is a human right; it is the right of every one.”

    Aremu said that the ongoing negotiation of the new National Minimum Wage should be used to also factor in the minimum pay for pensioners.

    “It is not just minimum wage for those who are working, I think there should be minimum pay for pensioners.”

    The Labour leader charged the institute to revisit the 2014 National Conference Report on the issue of Social Security as well as champion the cause for the creation of a Social Security Development Fund that would cater for the aged and vulnerable in the society.

    Earlier, Sen. Chris Adighije, President of the institute, said it was envisioned to assist the government, employers and workers towards building social protection floors and comprehensive social security system in the country.

    Adighije, who is also the institute’s Council Chairman, charged the new inductees on absolute diligence, commitment and professionalism in the discharge of their various assignments.

    He added that this is with a view to attracting more members so that the institute would grow to enviable heights.

    In a remark, the Registrar, Mr Johnny Okoronkwo, said the institute’s mission included enhancing the knowledge base on social security issues through capacity building and strategic partnership with relevant stakeholders, to ensure the development of a comprehensive social security system in the country.

    Okoronkwo said the institute would also promote public awareness on social security services and administration.

    “We will promote and support all social security interventions and ensure their adherence to national and international standards,” Okoronkwo said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has played a major role in developing an internationally defined normative framework guiding the establishment, development and maintenance of social security systems across the world.

    It has become the world’s leading point of reference as stated in Convention No. 102, which is the flagship of the up-to-date social security Conventions since it is deemed to embody the internationally accepted definition of the principle of social security.

    The UN agency defines social security as the protection that a society provides to individuals and households to ensure access to health care and to guarantee income security, particularly in cases of old age, unemployment, sickness, invalidity, work injury, maternity or loss of a breadwinner.

    Nigeria is a signatory to the ILO Convention 102.

  • We need creative ways of tackling poverty-Osinbajo

    The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, says the Federal Government is focusing on more creative ways of getting Nigerians out of poverty and also improve the country’s Human Capital Development indices.

    Osinbajo made this known while chairing a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC ), Steering Committee on Human Capital Development on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said that the Federal Government was committed to lifting Nigerians out of poverty as a crucial agenda towards attaining intended development outcomes.

    “Poverty as we know is both a cause and consequence of some of what we are looking at in our human capital development deficit.

    “Really, I think we need to focus a lot more on some of the more creative ways of getting our people out of poverty.

    “ And of course, we have some social investment programs, we are looking at some of the examples of what India did, some have been tried and tested in such huge populations.

    “I think there is a need for us to sensitize our people to why we need to get a large segment of our people out of poverty. Recently, we have been launching the TraderMoni scheme, which is basically giving credits to petty traders across the country in the markets and all that.

    “We must do even more in terms of giving credits and whatever assistance and support to people.

    “Obviously, the more money people have, the better it is for them, so they can apply their little resources to some of what we are expected to do to improve human capital development,” he said.

    Osinbajo harped on the importance of improving data collection at all levels so as to ensure effective tracking of Human Capital Development outcome areas in the states.

    On his part, Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group, told State House correspondents that the Dangote Foundation was committing 50 million dollars to the fight against malnutrition in Nigeria.

    Dangote said that the foundation was focused on three major areas-health, education and empowerment.

    Read Also: Group demands Oshiomole’s resignation, Buhari to call Osinbajo to order

    “I think we really need to wake up and meet most of our development goals, in education, in health, and also in empowerment.

    “One of the things that we are doing is to make sure that we tackle malnutrition.

    “The Dangote Foundation has announced a decision to spend 50 million dollars so that we can fight malnutrition in most of the states that are affected, which we have started rolling out,” he said.

    He said that the foundation joined the committee to make sure that targets were set and met.

    On his part, Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, said that the committee was the working group that had been meeting to look at the impact of government intervention programs in economy, education, health, among others.

    “The issue of Human Capital Development is a measure of how we care for our citizens; and so, this is like bringing everybody to the table at the highest level.

    “We have the governors, and there is a renewed commitment even at the states because we cannot go far except the states are really on the table.

    “There is enough Federal Government commitment; enough of Federal Government involvement, but we need to bring the states on board,’’ he said.

    Speaking, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, said that the committee received a presentation on the framework for further investments in the key areas of health, education, social inclusion as well as empowerment.

    “We had a very good meeting and we hope that the outcome of the meeting and the work of the core working group will bring out very clear plans and strategies to invest more in education, healthcare, nutrition, empowerment, gender inclusion, as well as job creation for our young people,’’ he said.

    The meeting was also attended by the  Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, .

    There were also representations from development partners- World Bank, DFID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

  • Workers’ strike paralyses Lagos judiciary

    The court rooms of the Lagos State Judiciary were shut to adjudication of cases as workers stayed away to observe the nationwide strike called by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to press home their demand improved minimum wage.

    As a result, lawyers and litigants who came to the courts were turned back at the gate by security guards keeping watch over the court premises.

    The NLC and TUC are asking for N50,000 as against the present N18,000  as minimum wage for workers in the public and organized private sectors across the country.

    The premises of the High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja was quiet like a grave yard on Thursday.

    All the doors of the court rooms were chained and padlocked by workers to prevent proceedings from taking place.

    The Chief Registrar, Mrs Taiwo Olatokun who arrived Ikeja High Court could not gain access to her office as the main door of the administrative building was also put in chain and padlocked.

    Mrs Olatokun stood by the main gate and was seen discussing with some heads of departments of the judiciary. They left when it became clear that workers were not going to open the offices.

    However, the security men spread out all over the premises of Ikeja high court to ensure safety of properety.

    None of the officials of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) were on ground to answer media enquiries on Thursday.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress had on Wednesday directed all its members and affiliate unions to commence a nationwide strike yesterday after a stalemated meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.

    The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said the industrial action would commence due to the refusal of the Federal Government to reconvene the meeting of the tripartite national minimum wage committee to enable it to conclude its work.

    He said, “In compliance with this mandate, all workers and private sector at all levels across the country have been directed to comply.

    “All public and private institutions, offices, banks, schools, public and private business premises, including filling station, are to remain shut till further notice.

  • Minimum wage: Meeting with labour not deadlocked – Minister

    The Federal Government says that the meeting with organised labour on the minimum wage did not end in a deadlock.

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, said this in a statement issued in Abuja by Mr Samuel Olowookere, the Director of Press in the ministry.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister met with labour leaders who were part of the Tripartite Committee on the new National Minimum Wage to give them an update on government ’s position.

    Ngige, who was reacting to some media reports, however, described the meeting as successful.

    ‘The meeting was, in fact, successful as both the Federal Government team led by the Minister of Labour and Employment and the leadership of the organised labour agreed to reconvene the meeting of the National Minimum Wage Committee on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018.

    ” This is to give enough time for the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission to round off the assignment given to it.

    ”As a result, labour agreed to reach out to its organs of leadership with the October 4th resumption date as demanded by its National Executive Council with a view to suspending the proposed strike, ” the statement said.

  • Organized labour allege minister of scuttling talks on minimum wage

    The leadership of the organized labour in Kogi State, on Wednesday laid blame for the alleged discontinuation of talks on the proposed new minimum wage, at the doorstep of the Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige.

    They therefore directed workers to join in the seven days warning strike called by the national secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), beginning midnight Wednesday.

    In a bulletin which jointly signed by Comrades Onuh Edoka, Ranti Ojo and Aaron Akeji, chairmen of the state councils of the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Public Service Joint Negotiation Council (PSJNC) respectively and the state secretaries, they charged that all lawful means, including the notice of a 14-day ultimatum to make the Federal Government committee deliver on its mandate, yielded no result.

    They added: “The (30-man tripartite national minimum wage committee) went into a series of meetings and consultations, including receiving of memorandum from various stakeholders and conducting public hearing in the six geo-political zones of the country and Abuja, in which Glass House of the Government House, Lokoja, Kogi State, played host to the North Central geo-political zone on the 27th April, 2018.

    “To the amazement of the members of the tripartite committee, particularly, organized labour and the general public, a representative of the federal government on the committee and Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, on the day the committee was supposed to submit its report, unilaterally announced an indefinite postponement of the sitting of the committee, thereby putting the realization of the New Minimum Wage in jeopardy.

    “Consequent upon this, organized Labour, utilizing lawful means, including Notice of 14-day ultimatum, to make the committee deliver on its mandate, did not yield positive result, as the federal government did not do the needful.

    “This is to bring to your notice therefore, that sequel to the directive from the National Secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, the entire workers in the country will be proceeding on a (7) seven days warning strike beginning from the midnight, Wednesday 26th September, 2018.

  • Minimum wage strike looms as NLC puts workers on standby

    Barely any last minute change of plans, organised Labour in the country have concluded plans to embark on a warning strike to protest government delay in arriving at a new national minimum wage for the country.

    President Muhammadu Buhari had in November 2017 inaugurated a tripartite committee to discuss and arrive at a new national minimum wage for the country, while the committee began sitting in March 2018.

    Also, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige told the Nation in February during the 40th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that the committee will conclude its report before the end of the third quarter.

    However, at a meeting where the committee was to finalize its work, the Minister reported announced that the government needed more time to consult before arriving at a figure which will be discussed by the committee, while the meeting was adjourned indefinitely.

    The position of the minister angered Organised Labour, promptly accused the minister and the government of delaying the process, and issued a two weeks ultimatum for government to recall the committee and conclude negotiation or face an industrial action.

    Although the Vice President was said to have called for a meeting to address the issue with a view to avoiding any industrial action, The Nation gathered that Organised Labour were not invited to the meeting.

    However, in a two paragraph statement on Tuesday, General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson informed all industrial unions in the country and state councils to immediately begin the mobilization of their members in readiness for the warning strike which May later snowball into a full blown industrial action.

    The statement reads: “This is to inform you that the Organised Labour shall commence nationwide warning strike in respect of the non implementation of the National Minimum Wage effective midnight of Wednesday 26th September 2018.

    “All industrial unions and all state councils are to commence mobilization immediately for an effective strike action nationwide. A formal notification letter will be sent later in the day”.

  • Minimum Wage: Workers must smile before 2019 elections – Ngige

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, says the Buhari administration is a labour friendly government, which is determined to put smiles on the faces of Nigerian workers before 2019 elections.

    Ngige stated this when he alongside the Chairman of the National Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee, Ms Amma Pepple, addressed State House correspondents on the outcome of their closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Ngige and Pepple had briefed the president on the progress so far made by the Pepple’s committee, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

    According to the minister, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, will on Sept. 18, preside over the meeting of the Economic Management Team, which will be solely dedicated to the contentious issue of minimum wage.

    He said: “Next week we have an economic management team meeting on Tuesday, specially dedicated to the issue of national minimum wage to be chaired by the Vice President.

    “For anybody to say that this government is stalling or playing games will be uncharitable, because, we have done what we are supposed to do.

    “We have the interest of workers at heart, we have not retrenched anybody, there is no embargo on employment, there is no embargo on promotions, we are paying backlog of promotional arrears, we are backing backlog of transfers and repatriation and the rest of them and we are giving them houses under FISH and the rest of them.

    “So this government is a labour friendly government and we must put smiles on their faces before the next election; we are labour activists we don’t want to turn our backs on them.’’

    Pepple, a onetime Head of Service of the Federation, told the correspondents that the committee would submit its report on or before Sept. 30.

    Read Also: Ngige faults Labour on new pay

    She, however, maintained that the committee needed a definite figure from the government.

    According to her, everything is on course but we need a definite figure from the government and of course we have to carry the states along.

    “So, we need those figures so that we can conclude on the figures to include in our report.

    “At least, I expect our report to be ready this month. We are submitting our report to Mr President this month.

    The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) had on Wednesday issued a two-week ultimatum to government to conclude all negotiations on the national minimum wage or risk industrial action.

    But, while reacting to the threat by the organised labour, Ngige accused them of blackmailing the government.

     

    NAN

  • Osinbajo to chair minimum wage meeting Tuesday

    *Ngige: Workers must smile before next election

    *Buhari to get report soon – Ama Pepple

     

    Towards resolving the minimum wage issue, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, will next week Tuesday preside over the Economic Management Team (EMT) meeting to be dedicated to the issue.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, at the end of meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari alongside the chairman of the negotiation committee, Ms Amma Pepple.

    According to him, they briefed President Buhari on Friday on the progress so far made by the committee.

    He said “Next week we have an economic management team meeting on Tuesday, specially dedicated to the issue of national minimum wage to be chaired by the Vice President. For anybody to say that this government is stalling or playing games will be uncharitable, because, we have done what we are supposed to do.

    “We have the interest of workers at heart, we have not retrenched anybody, there is no embargo on employment, there is no embargo on promotions, we are paying backlog of promotional arrears, we are backing backlog of transfers and repatriation and the rest of them and we are giving them houses under FISH and the rest of them.

    “So this government is a labour friendly government and we must put smiles on their faces before the next election…we are labour activists we don’t want to turn our backs on them.” he said

    Pepple, a former Head of Service of the Federation, said the committee will submit its report before the month ends.

    According to her, they need a definite figure from government.

    She said “Everything is on course but we need a definite figure from government and of course we have to carry the states along. So, we need those figures so that we can conclude on the figures we include in our report.”

    On how soon the new minimum wage will be ready, Pepple said, “This month. At least I expect our report will be ready this month. We are submitting our report to Mr. President this month.”

    Ngige on Thursday had accused the organised labour of blackmailing the government following a two-week ultimatum given for the conclusion of negotiation on the matter.

    Read Also: Osinbajo urges African leaders to put service above self

    According to him, the Labour leaders were unnecessarily blackmailing and intimidating government to pass a new minimum wage that it may end up reneging on.

    Ngige blamed certain factors such as inability of governors to provide their figures to be debated by the committee negotiating the new minimum wage as one of the reasons for the delay, just as he assured that government was still within the timeframe it promised to deliver on a new minimum wage and was not stalling the process as alleged by labour.

    According to Ngige, the organised private sector had initially proposed a figure of N42,000 but later brought it down to N25,000, taking into account the current economic situation, ability to pay and ability to enhance and create new jobs

    The organised labour had in May 2016 demanded a pay rise on the current N18,000 national minimum wage to N56, 000. Buhari had in November 2017 inaugurated the National Minimum Wage Committee with a mandate of arriving at a new national minimum.

  • Minimum wage: You are crying wolf where there is none, Ngige tells Labour

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said on Thursday that organised Labour in the country were crying wolf on the issue of minimum wage where there is none, saying the National Minimum Wage Committee set by the federal government was still working within its time frame.

    The Minister also said that together with the Chairman of the Committee and former Head of Service of the Federation, Ms Amma Pepple will brief President Muhammadu Buhari on the progress so far made by the committee on Friday.

    Ngige who was reacting to the two weeks ultimatum issued by organised Labour accusing the government of stalling negotiation, said the ultimatum issued by the Labour leaders was unnecessary as the committee was working within the time frame it set for itself, pointing that he regard the ultimatum by Labour as a subtle threat.

    He said that the various conventions of the International Labour Organisation that has to do be minimum wage and other forms of negotiations does not allow partners to issue threats as the other partner will be regarded as negotiating under duress

    Labour leaders had accused the Minister of delaying arriving at a figure for the committee to agree on, seeking time for government to consult while adjourning the meeting indefinitely.

    According to the Minister, the work of the committee, including a draft bill to be sent to the President and subsequently to the National Assembly and all other work of the committee were ready except the issue of a particular figure to be agreed upon.

    He disclosed that while it is easy for organised Labour to agree on a figure, it was not that easy for the government as it must put into consideration the economic situation in the country and the ability of the various State governors to pay the agreed figure.

    Read Also: Ngige and the parable of the stolen fowl

    He said while organised Labour first made a presentation of N56,000 as its demand and withdrew its, only to withdraw it and made another presentation of N65,000, the Organised Private Sector made a presentation of N42,000 and later withdraw it for lower presentation of N25,000.

    Ngige said that with all the presentations, the government need to look at everything that has been presented before arriving at a figure which can be paid by all saying “if we arrive at a figure that is not implementable, what then Is the essence of negotiation”.

    He explained that at the last meeting of the committee, he requested for two weeks to consult with members of the Economic Management team, most of whom were out of the country with the President, adding that the committee was inaugurated by the president because of his personal interest on the matter.

    He said “We don’t want people to renege on the agreement when we finally come up with something. That is why the President insisted that the governors must be part of the process. They had complained that they were not part of the last process.

    The Governors Forum had also asked for more time to consult among themselves and dismissed insinuations that the governors said they were not elected to pay salaries.

    While accusing organised Labour of trying to over heat the polity, Ngige said the Buhari government was a worker friendly government , adding that no worker has been sacked since the inception of the present government while also putting in place several palliatives for workers.

    He said that the federal government spent about N70 billion last year in settling the backlog of workers emoluments, while encouraging the private sector to grow and employ more workers.

    He regard he regard the ultimatum by organised Labour as a subtle blackmail which is not allowed in Labour laws.

    Organised Labour had issued a two week ultimatum to the government t to resume and conclude the work of the minimum wage committee, but Ngige said the committee was still working within the deadline it set for itself.

  • FG teams up with AfDB to tackle unemployment

    The Federal Government has partnered the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) to reduce unemployment in the country.

    The government said it plans to engage stakeholders and the AfDB in a round table discussion on youth employment and skills development.

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed this at the inauguration of the multi-sectoral task team on public-private roundtable on youth employment and skills development on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Dr. Ngige, who was represented by the Minister of State, Prof. Stephen Ocheni, said the round table would have a rich private sector participation due to the widely acknowledged higher potentials for job creation by the sector.

    He said: “The Federal Government, in continued efforts to respond to the unacceptable situation and reverse trend, has therefore, entered into partnership with the African Development Bank Group to engage a broad-spectrum of stakeholders in a Roundtable discussion on Youth Employment and Skills Development in Nigeria.

    “The work of the team would key into the aspiration of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the present administration and also boost the rate of attainment of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals in the country.”

    The minister said Nigeria was yet to harness its population potential through productive engagement.

    The Senior Director for the AfDB, Ebrima Faal, said only 77.55 million of Nigeria’s 85.08 million labour force are engaged in some sort of economic activity.

    Read Also: AfDB, partners hold investment parley

    Represented by, Abdullahi Imoru, he said: “Of the 85.08 million of Nigeria’s Labour force, 77.55 million are engaged in some sort of economic activity. This leaves out 7.53 million people doing absolutely nothing (NBS report).

    “Nigeria has to realize the potential of its youths, create jobs for them or support them to create jobs for themselves; hence the critical importance of entrepreneurship. Hence the key role of the private sector.

    “In 2016, The AfDB adopted a Job for Youth in Africa Strategy, with the goal to create 25 million jobs and equip 15 million youth in Africa with employable skills in ten years.  From 2016 to date, the Bank has invested over $400 million in both public and private operations that will promote jobs for the youth in the country”

    The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote said: “Although the Federal Ministry of Labour has the mandate to create the enabling environment and coordinate activities on job creation and skills development in the country, we recognize the fact that employment matters are cross cutting in all the sector of the economy.”