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Tag: Chris Ngige

  • FG to eradicate child labour, human trafficking by 2025

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has said that the was doing everything possible to effectively eradicate forced  labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and secure prohibition and elimination  of the worst forms of child labour by the year 2025.

    NGIGE said the Government was commitment to accelerating action in achieving alliance 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goal [SDG] that seeks immediate and effective measures to eradicate

    Speaking at the 2018 World day against Child Labour 2018, the Minister said child Labour deprived children the opportunity of being educated, while being subjected to physical and emotional abuses that hamper the development.

    He said the campaign against child Labour Is aimed at accelerating action to achieve target 8.7/alliance 8.7 of the sustainable Development Goal (SDG) which seeks among other things to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour.

    He described child Labour as the engagement of children under 18 years of age in any work that deprive them of their childhood and the opportunity to be educated and also hamper their physical and moral development and this has assumed a global dimension and attention.

    He said the 2018 theme which is “Generation Safe and Healthy” and sub theme “Elimination of Child Labour and Protection of young workers” is meant to awaken the need to improve the safety and health of young workers and end child labour especially in its worst forms.

    Read Also: FG moves to end child labour, ensure safety in work place

    According to him, to build a generation of safe and healthy workers, preparation must begin early with parental and community awareness for young people to be aware of risks and able to advocate on their own behalf, education about work hazards and risks as well as about workers’ rights, need to start in school and continues through vocational training and apprenticeship programmes.

    He said practical steps must be taken to eliminate the root causes of child labour and ensure that the rights of young workers are protected within the ambits of the law. Noting that the Federal Government under President Buhari’s Administration has done a lot in the fight against child labour and will continue until it is eliminated in Nigeria.

    The Minister solicited the collaboration of frontline MDAs, workers and employers union, civil society organizations, (NGOs) and other stakeholders to create time bound child labour programmes and projects and make budgetary provision for them in line with their various mandates as encapsulated in the national action plan (NAP) for elimination of child labour and take such programmes to the communities and involve the community gatekeepers, market women, traditional rulers and children.

    Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Ibukun Odusote said that the World Day against Child Labour (WDACL) is set aside internationally for awareness creation, mass mobilization and activism on prevention of child labour.

    She said that the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour and Employment has done a lot to ensure that children are not engaged in child labour and young workers are dully protected and operate in safe working conditions.

    She said “child labour presents a serious challenge at global and national levels and requires concerted efforts by all stakeholders to overcome the menace”.

    She stressed, that the symposium to commemorate the day was very strategic as to create awareness and rub minds on the more effective ways to tackle the menace of child labour and improve the safety and health of young workers in our society.

     

  • NSITF will no longer be a cash cow – Ngige

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has said that despite the huge financial scandal uncovered at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), the agency will no longer be used as a cash cow for any individual or group.

    The Minister who spoke when he inaugurated a Seven-Man Implementation Committee on the Report of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry into the financial affairs of the fund, said the government will do everything possible to re-position the fund to save it from going the way of other agencies like it that have gone under as a result of mismanagement.

    Addressing the members of the committee drawn from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, the Private Sector and the Ministry of Labour and Employment with Permanent Secretary, Mrs Ibukun Odusote as Chairman, Sen. Ngige recalled said the government places high premium placed on the religious implementation of the report by the Federal government.

    He described the implementation committee as key to charting a new course for the agency, adding that its constitution is a presidential directive.

    “The Federal Government finds it desirable that that report of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry into the financial affairs of the NSITF be religiously implemented in order to give the agency a new lease of life.

    “The President gave approval for this Inter-Ministerial Committee because of the humongous nature of the problem so as to ensure broad participation of experts from other ministries and preclude any accusation of narrow interest.

    “You are aware that in the last seven months or so we have directly tried to salvage that agency from going the way of similar Federal agencies like National Economic Reconstruction FUND (NERFUND) where massive looting became an albatross, sinking the organization.

    Read Also: Be guided in your utterances, Ngige tells Oshiomhole

    “In case of the NSITF, there is no law and order as per financial spending, no vote book, no internal audit mechanism, no transparent procurement plan that gives government value for money , no audited account for the last six years, occasioning massive loss of funds, inability to pay compensation, death benefits , and even investment on behalf of the organization.”

    The Minister charged the committee to strictly abide by the directive of the President to work expeditiously and round off assignment within two weeks from the date of inauguration so as to pave way for the inauguration of the board.

    “We want to create a new NSITF that will be financially stable to fulfil its objectives,” he said, warning members to be steadfast and shun distractions and overtures from interested parties.

    He further charged them, “You will look into the Auditor General’s Check Report which we engaged the relevant section of the constitution to obtain because there has been no audited account in the agency for six years.

    “You will also consider the fate of some of the staff members sent on compulsory leave to allow for an unfettered access to the books of their departments.

    “The innocent will be re-instated while those who corruptly enriched themselves or neglected their responsibilities won’t come back. We shall engage the necessary government mechanism in disengaging such staff in such a way that we don’t breach the public service rule.”

    He also urged the committee to work out concrete plans for the creation of tax desk in the agency, the lack of which he said, resulted in the billions of Naira in tax deductions not remitted to relevant government agencies, in turn, leading to the closure of the agency’s branches in Port Harcourt and Onne in Rivers State as well as in Owerri, Imo State. “The problems dogging the agency are gargantuan and unknown to many armchair critics,” he added.

    Speaking on the ownership of the NSITF, Senator Ngige said the fund was “one hundred percent Federal Government organization”, explaining however that its tripartite nature is a result of workers and employers involvement.

    He said “I am explaining this because there is an insinuation in some quarters that NSITF contains workers’ money. The contributions therein are premium paid on behalf of workers by employers and nothing more. The workers benefit from the fund just as their employers. Ignorance of this fact has made some people assert unnecessary rights over its management.”

  • Be guided in your utterances, Ngige tells Oshiomhole

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has asked the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be “verse in little basic issues” that guide public governance  so as to be properly guided in his utterances to avoid unnecessary character assassination and unfortunate misinformation of  the Nigerian public.

    The Minister said in a statement made available to The Nation that reports that he appropriated the powers of the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) in the award of contracts leading to the delay in inaugurating the board of the agency was false and misleading.

    Ngige who was reacting to a widely publicized statement by the APC chairman said the neither the Minister nor the board of the agency has the power to award contracts since they were not part of the Tenders Board.

    He insisted that the monumental fraud in the agency accounts for why the board of the agency has not been inaugurated.

    Read Also: Ngige threatens to revoke oil firms’ licences

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has been drawn to media reports that his office appropriated the powers of the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) in the award of contracts, hence the delay in inaugurating the board of the agency.

    “Such a blatant falsehood is either on account of fertile ignorance or outright mischief or both by the originator as well as the peddlers.  It is therefore imperative that the provisions of the Procurement Act 2010 which is clear and unambiguous on the process for the award of contracts be re-emphasized.

    “For clarity purpose, the Ministerial Tenders Board (MTB) for the award of contracts in any Ministry is made up of the Permanent Secretary as chairman and his Directors, while in the parastatals, the Parastatals Tenders Board consists of the Chief Executive Officer (Director General or Managing Director) and his Directors.

    “The Minister is not a member and therefore does not award contracts. Similarly, members of Board of Directors being not members of the Tenders Board of the parastatals do not also award contracts.

    “It is therefore a stunningly crass ignorance for anyone to claim that part of the reasons for the delay in the inauguration of the board of the NSITF  or any parastatal was to enable the  Minister usurp the role of the board as regards the award of contracts.

    “When the threshold of the award is above a parastatal, such contracts are referred to the MTB for final approval. Such also is the case with the Ministerial Tenders Board threshold which is referred to the Bureau for Public Procurement and from there, to the Council of Ministers called the Federal Executive Council for treatment and ratification.

    “So in effect, the Federal Executive Council is not a contract awarding body and hence Ministers do not award contracts stricto senso.

    “It is our humble view therefore that those in authority should be versed in little basic issues that guide public governance  so as to be properly guided in their utterances to avoid unnecessary character assassination and unfortunate misinformation of  the general public.

    “Once more, the Honourable  wishes to state that the reason for the delayed inauguration of the Board of the NSITF was to enable the Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up to probe a frightening degree of corruption amounting to over 48 billion Naira out of which N5billion disappeared in a day without vouchers, complete its assignment.

    “The panel has submitted its report while the committee implementing same report is already empaneled. It will finish its work very soon to pave the way for the inauguration of the Board of Directors.”

  • FG uncover N62.555 billion fraud in NSITF

    The administrative panel constituted by the Federal government to investigate the financial state of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund has uncovered about N62.555 billion fraud in the agency, saying the money was spent without proper accounting procedures being followed.

    The panel finding is contained in a report submitted to government on Wednesday just as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said any member of staff indicted by the report will be made to face the law in accordance with extant laws and the provisions of the civil service rules.

    Chairman of the Administrative Panel, Ishaya Awotu said while presenting the final report of the panel to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige that the financial book of the fund has not been fully audited since 2011.

    The panel discovered that several unauthorized allowances were paid to the staff and management of the fund while over sea trips and training were carried out without the necessary approval from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as required by the civil service rules.

    The Minister of Labour and Employment had, in February 2018 inaugurated the panel to investigate the finances of the fund following a damning report from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission indicting former Board members of the fund.

    Some senior management staff of the fund was also sent on compulsory leave to allow the panel carry out its assignment without any interference.

    Awotu said that the panel noticed weaknesses In the operation of the Fund, adding that even though the Fund had External Auditors for the period 2011 to 2015, the audited financial statements and the management letters for year 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 were submitted to the Management, but were not concluded reports.

    He said “As at the time of forwarding this report, none of the years audited accounts has been concluded while the audit reports remained unsigned. The basis for Management’s re-appointment of the External Auditors for the auditing of 2015 Accounts could not be ascertained;

    “The Fund does not have Financial Operational Manual to guide in its financial activities while compliance with the provisions of the Financial Regulations in carrying out their financial transactions was very weak;

    “Bank reconciliation of most of the bank accounts of the Fund was not carried out. Without the reconciliation of the bank statements, irregular payments and fraud committed on the accounts cannot be detected. Furthermore, financial statements prepared from unreconclied accounts cannot be reliable. Non-reconciliation of bank accounts violates section 716 of the Financial Regulations;

    Read Also: NSITF to enforce workers compensation policy

    “The internal Audit function of the Fund was ineffective. The Panel observed that for the period 2013 to 2017, the internal Audit Department did not audit the cashbooks of the various bank accounts at the Headquarters of the Fund, books and records of Investments and Treasury Department, Procurement Processes, Registration of Employers and payment of contributions by the Employers, Enforcement and Inspection activities, Fixed Assets etc. The lack of effective auditing of the Fund’s accounts and records violates section 1701 of the Financial Regulations;

    “It was observed that the Fund was operating with incomplete books of accounts. Several bank statements of the various bank accounts, cashbooks, etc were not submitted for audit examination and sighting. Financial statements (accounts) produced from such accounting system cannot be reliable;

    “There were several transfers of funds in between bank accounts without authorization and approvals. The sum of N15,737,757,697.91 (Fifteen Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirty Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Seven Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety Seven Naira, Ninety One Kobo) was transferred from one account to another. Evidences to show the approvals and payment vouchers authorizing the transfers were not presented to the Panel;

    “The Panel observed that the sum of N2,990,184,262.77 was expended on computerization and other related lCT equipment. Despite this expenditure, not (much was achieved on computerization of the Fund defeating the purpose of the expenditure;

    “It was also observed that Oversea Tours and Trainings were undertaken by the Fund without the approval of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation;

    “Contrary to the provisions of Financial Regulation 402 the Fund does not maintain Expenditure Vote Control Books required for the monitoring and control of the various sub-heads. None maintenance of the vote-books made it impossible for the Fund to control extra budgetary spending.

    “The sum of N2,650,731,225.93 (Two Billion, Six Hundred and Fifty Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty One Thousand, Two Hundred and Twenty Five Naira, Ninety Three Kobo) deducted from various payments in respect of Withholding Tax, Pay-As-You-Earn (PAVE), Value Added Tax, Pension and National Housing Fund were no remitted to the relevant Authorities.

    “Irregular allowances totaling N5, 744,968,834.13 were paid to Staff and Management of the Fund. These allowances were paid without the approval of National Salary, incomes and Wages Commission for allowances being paid to its staff and management.

    “Some of the allowances such as Management Staff Allowance, Staff Education Allowance. DSTV Subscription Allowance, Dressing Allowance, Generator and Motor Vehicle Fueling Allowance paid to staff and management were not provided for in the Condition of Service of the Fund.

    “Payment vouchers in the sum of N27,056,598,053.92 (Twenty Seven Billion, Fifty Six Million, Five Hundred and Ninety Eight Thousand, Fifty Three Naira, Ninety Two Kobo) were not presented to the Panel for audit examination and sighting;

    “Payment vouchers in the sum of N8,376,083,789.72 (Eight Billion, Three Hundred and Seventy Six Million, Eighty Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty Nine Naira, Seventy Two Kobo) were without adequate supporting documents”

    The panel recommend that the Management of the Fund should without further delay conclude the External Auditors’ Reports for the period 2011 to 2015, while another set of External Auditors should be appointed with immediate effect to audit the accounts of 2016 and 2017 financial years as audited accounts for 2017 financial year ought to have been submitted on 30th May, 2018 in accordance with the Financial Regulations.

    The panel also said that NSITF should carry out full reconciliation of assets acquired and recorded in the cashbooks against the Fixed Assets Register, saying “Schedules to the Fixed Assets should be updated to correspond with fixed assets balances in the general ledger. Henceforth, the Fund should endeavor to update their Fixed Assets Register and schedules as the assets are acquired .

    “The Fund should ensure that Accounting Operational Manual is prepared to guide in carrying out its financial activities. In the interim (before the Accounting Operational Manual is put in place), the Fund should be guided by the relevant sections of the Financial Regulations;

    “The Staff Condition of Service should be reviewed, with immediate effect, to correct lapses contained therein. There is also the need to review the investment Policy Document of the Fund;

    “A Professional Firm of Accountants should be engaged to carry out in-depth examination of transfers in-between the accounts to ensure that the transfers of N15, 37,757,697.91 (Fifteen Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirty Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Seven Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety Seven Nalra, Ninety One Kobe) were properly accounted for.

    “The Firm should also canyout the bank reconciliation of the accounts of the Fund from its inception to date to assure that there are no financial losses resulting from the non-reconciliation of the accounts;

    “The Fund should be asked to produce the payment vouchers in the sum of N27,056,598,053.92 (Twenty Seven Billion, Fifty Six Million, Five hundred and Ninety Eight Thousand, Fifty Three Naira, Ninety Two Kobe) that were not presented to the Panel for audit examination and sighting;

    “The Fund should also produce the relevant supporting documents. For the various payment vouchers with total monetary value of N8,376,083,789.72 (Eight Billion, Three Hundred and Seventy Six Million, Eighty Three Thousand. Seven Hundred and Eighty Nine Naira, Seventy Two Kobe) to substantiate the payments.

    “The Staff should be trained on the utilization of the acquired it. Equipment to add value to service delivery. Henceforth, all approvals for Overseas Tours and Trainings should be obtained from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in line with extant circulars before they are undertaken.

    “The Fund should prepare a financial plan on how they intend to remit the N2, 650,731,225.93 deducted from Staff salaries to various Authorities to avoid sanctions that may lead to going concern (non continuity) of the Fund.”

    Receiving the report, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige assured that the report of the panel will be implemented fully and the lapses identified corrected.

    He said “Those findings especially about over sea trips which are unauthorized will be dealt with because they are actions that breached public service rules. It is not true that parastatals are exempted from public service rules. This report will be fully implemented and areas of lapses corrected. So many government organizations have gone under because of situations like this.”

    He said further that “Following the whistle blowing policy of this administration, the EFCC moved into the place and did some forensic auditing of the accounts of the agency.

    “After reading the EFCC report, we felt it was necessary to set up this administrative panel to find out why the internal audit mechanism broke down in such a way that the N62 billion contributed cannot be seen.

    “No good investment, no bank reserve and failing to carry out their responsibilities to their workers to the extent that the PAYE deducted, the pensions, and the National Housing Funds deducted were not remitted to the appropriate authority and the money is no where to be seen in the account. These are very strong financial misapplication and misappropriation.

    “You have helped us to create a new NSITF that will be financial ok. It was I lieu of this that the Ministry did not want to be stampeded to put in place a new Board especially because the EFCC report indicted some members of the former board.

    “Those indicted included those nominated by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association. So. We were not in a hurry because we needed to give the new board a new lease of life because you don’t put new wine in old wine skin.

    “I am very happy because this is a water shed in the history of NSITF and I want to assure you that we are taking notes of the financial infractions mentioned here and we are also in position of the schedule that will help us look at what has been done, the road map you have been drawn will be implemented to the later.”

  • Oshiomhole goes tough on ministers

    National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has frowned at the delay by some cabinet ministers to inaugurate Boards of government parastatal under their ministries despite a Presidential directive for them to do so.

    He said the party will no longer tolerate any willful disregard to directives either from the party or from the government by any appointee of government.

    Oshiomhole is specifically not happy with the Ministers of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige and Minister of State, Aviation and asked them to immediately comply and inaugurate all the Boards under their Ministries within one week or face the wrath of the party.

    The Ministry of Labour and Employment is yet to inaugurate the Board of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund following an investigation of the activities of the agency for fraud by the government.

    In a letter addressed to the Ministers, dated 11th July 2018, the APC chairman expressed concern that the Ministers have failed to reconstitute the Boards in contravention of the position of the National Executive Council of the party and the Presidential directives to all Ministers, describing it as a great disrespect to the party.

    Read Also: Oshiomhole: Only mercenaries are leaving APC

    The letter said: “this is to inform you that the attention of the National Working Committee has been drawn to your refusal to inaugurate members of the re-constituted Boards under the supervision of your Ministry.

    “This contravenes the position of the NEC, National Caucus and the Presidential Directives to all Ministers to inaugurate Boards of Parastatals under their Ministries. We find this attitude as disrespect to the President and disservice to our great party.

    “The party will henceforth no longer tolerate any appointee of government at all level who continue to willfully disregard lawful instructions from either the government or the party.

    “In the light of the forging, you are hereby directed to inaugurate all the boards under your Ministry within one week, failure of which the party will take appropriate disciplinary measures against you”.

  • No gang up can stop Buhari from winning 2019 presidential election – Ngige

    Former Anambra governor and now Labour and Productivity Minister, Chris Ngige said on Tuesday in Ado Ekiti that no gang up would stop President Buhari’s re-election in 2019.

    Ngige said that the gang up against the President by some leaders would fail ahead of next year election, noting that he has brought sanity to the Nigeria’s economy compared to what he met when he assumed office in 2015.

    The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the former Senator who spoke in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital during the grand finale mega rally of the All Progressives Congress, described the parties forming alliance against the president as “mushroom”.

    He said the APC, which first evolved as Action Congress and later Action Congress of Nigeria before its current name of APC, had remained a progressive party with the vision and mission of uplifting the lives of Nigerians.

    The former governor said the people of Ekiti should vote wisely by electing Dr. Kayode Fayemi of APC on Saturday, so as to be part of progressives.

    Read also: ‘Buhari deserves second term’

    According to him, parties gathering to unseat Buhari are just wasting their time as nothing will stop President Buhari from winning 2019 Presidential election.

    “All the gang up against the President will fail and he is going to win with landslide victory. It is obvious that before now, there was strong opposition against President Buhari by same past Nigerian leaders, but their plan to stop him then failed.

    “I can equally assure you that their gang up now will still fail because those who say Buhari should not run in 2019 are afraid that they may be forced to cough out the public fund they embezzled through dubious means, “he said.

    He accused Governor Ayo Fayose of impoverishing the people of Ekiti state, especially the Igbo traders by his refusal to pay backlog of salaries.

    He noted that the non-payment of salaries was fast destroying the businesses of many Igbo people that are into trading in the state, saying a vote for Fayemi would address the current situation.

  • FG restates commitment to job creation

    Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, has restated the commitment of the Federal Government to job creation for the citizenry.

    Ngige said this during the inaugural meeting of the Board of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The minister called on the NDE to expand its skills acquisition programmes in order to reduce the nation’s unemployment index.

    According to him, NDE is a multipurpose vehicle whose mandate is anchored on creating varying programmes to ginger creativity, skills acquisition and self-reliance.

    “The whole essence is to create a sustainable mechanism for job creation through skills development paradigm capable of producing a self-dependent generation of Nigerians.

    “That is who will not only empower themselves but also transfer the skills and replicate jobs,” he said.

    He, however, noted that paucity of funds has hampered such an ideal.

    He added that NDE as of today is not well funded. If it were to be rich, its mandate centring on training and equipping of trainees, empowering them with loans to set up their own businesses like  carpentry, tailoring, metal fabrication and welding, computer-based technology, mechatronics among others would be easy.

    “But that’s not to say the NDE is not doing its best within the limit of available resources,’’ the minister said.

    Read Also: Fire station: Fed Govt partners Akwa Ibom

    He, however, said it was impossible for the government alone to be charged with job creation as the private sector either alone or in liaison with the government has a huge role to play.

    He noted that the public sector which the government controls was not expected to give more than 20 per cent of jobs in a well-structured economy.

    Ngige further said that part of the mandate of the NDE included the comprehensive national data on unemployment.

    He, therefore, called on the NDE to work in alliance with the National Identity Card Commission, who was currently creating a Single Data Base for the entire country.

    Earlier, Mr Dr Nasiru Ladan, NDE Director, said that his focus was to streamline the operations of the agency to for easy actualisation of its objectives.

    He decried the high rate of non-compliance among the beneficiaries of its loan scheme programme, but promised that the agency would continue to encourage women cooperative societies across the nation.

    NAN

  • Nigeria not lagging behind on ILO standard – Ngige

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said on Wednesday that the country was not lagging behind in submitting its report on Labour standards to International Labour Organisation (ILO).

    While reacting to a report credited to a team of experts from the ILO that the country was not up to date in its reports on Labour Standards, the Minister said the government constantly submits its report to the world Labour body as required.

    The Nation had quoted visiting officials of the International Labour Organisation, as saying that the country was lagging behind in reporting Labour Standards to the world body.

    He however told The Nation on phone that the nation was only having difficulty in handling certain technical reports and sought the assistance of the ILO in handling those technical issues.

    “We invited the ILO to help with with technical support because there are some areas where we are having problems. We invited the team you saw and they came to train our people on how to handle those technical areas.

    Read Also: ILO: Ngige accuses NLC of undermining national interest

    “The training was attended by our people (government officials), Labour and employers. We now know how to handle the reports which will be submitted to the ILO latest 1st of September this year. So, it will be wrong to say that we are lagging behind in reporting on Labour Standard in the country”

    On the inability of the government to set up the Nigeria Labour Advisory Council, the Minister said that lack of resources was delaying the composition of the council, adding that inspite of that, he has constantly held regular meetings with all those who are supposed to be represented on the council on how to move the Labour sector forward.

    Meanwhile, the Minister has reinstated the commitment of the federal government to job creation for the citizenry and called on the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to expand its skills acquisition programmes in order to reduce the nation’s unemployment index.

    Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Board of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the Minister said the NDE is a multipurpose vehicle whose mandate is anchored on creating varying programmes   to ginger creativity, skills acquisition and self-reliance.

    “The whole essence is to create a sustainable mechanism for job creation through skills development paradigm capable of producing a self-dependent generation of Nigerians who will not only empower themselves but also transfer the skills and replicate jobs,” the Minister said.

    He regretted that this noble ideal was being hampered by paucity of funds, saying “NDE as of today is not well funded. If it were to be rich, its mandate centering around training and equipping of trainees, empowering them with loans to set up their own businesses such as carpentry, tailoring, metal fabrication and welding, computer- based technology, mechatronics among others would be easy. But that’s not to say the NDE is not doing its best within the limit of available resources.”

    He however added, it was impossible for government alone to be charged with job creation as the private sector either alone or in liaison with the government has a huge role to play, saying that the public sector which the government controls is not expected to give more than 20% of jobs in a well-structured economy.

    Ngige further said that part of the mandate of the NDE included the comprehensive national data on unemployment and therefore enjoined it  to work in alliance with the National Identity Card Commission, who is currently creating a Single Data Base for the  entire country.

  • FG to review 500% tarrif on local alcoholic beverages to save jobs

    The Federal government is set to review the recently imposed 500 percent tariff on locally produced alcoholic beverages in other to save about 200,000 workers in the sector from being thrown into the Labour market.

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige who disclosed this at a meeting with members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Joint Employers and Workers Association said President Muhammadu Buhari will ask the Minister of Finance and the economic management team to review the tariff.

    He said the country cannot afford to create poverty and job losses here while promoting abundant jobs in other countries, adding that job losses are not part of this government and will not support the 500% tariff increase.

    He said “You have written to the Federal Government through me that the increase in excise duty on alcohol and beverages will create job losses because once you add a new cost and pass it on, there will be consumer resistance, resulting in low patronage whereas the products coming from overseas that are being smuggled in which are cheap, will take over the market. It is a statement of fact.”

    “I have passed your complaints and luckily we have a listening President who wants the good of all Nigerians. He will definitely ask the Minister of Finance and the economic management team to review the tariff. We cannot afford to create poverty and job losses here while promoting abundant jobs in other countries. Job losses are not part of this government and will not support the 500% tariff increase.  ”

    The Minister said the Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ELGP) of the Federal Government was partly tailored towards job creation rather than losses, saying that the Executive Order No. 1 and 4 was for job creation as well as ensuring that jobs created were done by the locals.

    He stressed that the cardinal place job creation and protection occupy informed the administration’s fidelity to non-declaration of redundancy in the Federal Ministries and Agencies, hence no retrenchment of workers.

    Read Also: Buhari approves new excise duty rates for alcoholic beverages, tobacco

    “This is not to say that we don’t know that in some places available jobs have more than available staff members to match them but this is a compassionate administration. The President does not want to throw many families into anguish. The President always said that he was a salary earner in all his working life.

    “You can also see that we did not place an embargo on recruitment as we used to have years ago even while we were under recession. The Federal Government has been replacing staff members who exited as well as creating new jobs in the public sector. But this has to be complemented with the private sector jobs to have a full blend.”

    He also spoke of the resolve of the President to the policy of non-retrenchment made him further push the policy down to the states through Federal Economic Council to ensure that no worker is sack at any level of the Federation, “otherwise some of the Governors who can’t pay salaries would have retrenched by now. He has also followed it up with various bail-out funds, Paris Club Refund e.t.c to the state governments.”

    Further buttressing the commitment of the Federal Government to the welfare of workers, the Minister referred to the staff housing programme for workers being operated by the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, under the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) as well as other housing programmes meant to provide cheap houses to Nigerian workers.

    The Minister, therefore, said, “The Federal Government who has this level of commitment to the upliftment of the Nigerian workers cannot resort to any measure that can trigger job losses. We will certainly not commit to any policy that will make us lose two hundred thousand jobs.”

    He further assured the delegation that the Federal Government through the Custom and Excise Department was working round the clock to tame the activities of smugglers so as to save local industries.

    Acting General Secretary of the Union Com. Mike Olarenwaju, said the 500% tariff increase by the Ministry of Finance on their products was counter-productive as the measure was an assured destruction of the sector, adding that if allowed p, It will kill investments, it is already creating palpable fear in the operators, jobs losses is looming while imported products will displace local goods for reasons of smuggling and cheapness”.

    He, therefore, explained they were on SOS to the Hon. Minister to save the sector from going the way of the textile industry as well as prevent the loss of about 200, 000 jobs with the attendant economic and social consequences.

    “We have run to you as our last hope. Your antecedent in protecting the cause of the workers, that you have zero tolerance for anything that hurts the workforce is source of our confidence that the 500% tariff on our products, which spells doom for the sector will be looked into by the government.

    They further raised fears on the displacement of workers by the creeping automation regime in the industries to which the Minister assured that the demerits of new technology will be modulated by policy of compliance to Corporate Social Responsibility Policy in order to give jobs to the locals where the industries are sited.

  • ILO: Ngige accuses NLC of undermining national interest

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has said that the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to report the country to the Committee on the Application of Standard of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) was done in bad faith and against the interest of the country.
    The NLC had written to the committee reporting both Kaduna and Kogi State governments and asking the ILO to send a high powered delegation to Nigeria to investigate infringements of the right of workers by the state governments.
    The report by the NLC against the two states was one of the issues discussed by the Committee on Application of Standard at the just concluded 107th session of the International Labour Organization and the decision of the committee is expected to be ready in November 2018.
    The NLC is asking the ILO to send a high powered delegation made of experts to visit the country on a fact finding mission, but the Nigerian government delegation said there was no need to send experts as the issue was already being handled by the Nigerian government.
    The Minister said in an interview in Geneva, Switzerland that the retrenchment of unqualified teachers in Kaduna State which the NLC stated  in its petition was being tackled at home and needed no mention at the international labour forum.
    He said “we don’t need to wash our dirty linen in the public. My ministry summoned both the Kaduna State Government and the Nigerian Union of Teachers and they presented their case. We know the truth and don’t need to bring such to the ILO. Some of the people disengaged  by the Kaduna State Government from the records tendered to us are not qualified teachers.
    “They don’t have the  prerequisite certificate, competence. They got smuggled into the system but we don’t need to come here tell the world that Nigerians get jobs with fake certificates . We don’t need to engage in such demarketing of the nation.”
    The Minister said based on agreement with the Kaduna State Government, about ten thousand out of the number that failed the qualification test have re-applied, and the Kaduna State has re-absolved some of them, promising to move others to others jobs. It has besides recruited more qualified teachers into the system.
    However, Deputy President of the NLC, Comrade Peters Adeyemi who represented the congress at the proceedings of the Committee on Application of Standards, said the congress took the matter to the ILO because the governors were behaving more like untouchables.
    He said: “This arbitrariness needed to be checked. We had to come here because if we cast our mind back, President Buhari, out of pain looked at governors and asked them, how can you sleep when salaries of workers remained unpaid.
    “The problem has to do with the fact that the states have become lords to themselves to the extent that all our president can do is to lament. Because he is not able to make them do what is right. Some of these bailout funds were not used for the purpose they were used for. We know that at some point in time, the EFCC was trying to follow up some of those who misused these funds, but we have not gotten any result.
    “What we are saying is that the ILO should send a high powered mission to Nigeria to assert in some of these claims. Clearly, we had to put some of these things before the international community because if, despite his efforts, the president has not been able to do what is required, maybe if it is brought to the international community, people will have reason to begin to think more reasonably that this is a disgrace to our country.
    “How could possibly defend a situation where somebody work for about seven months or more and they are not paid. This report had to take place now because the rascality of these governors and politicians will go haywire anytime from now.
    “They are not going to think of paying salaries again and every money that comes in is going to be channeled towards political campaign. So, if you don’t get salaries paid now, it is not likely that it will be paid when campaigns hots up. So, we needed to cry beyond the shores of Nigeria because we are all part of the ILO and they have roles to pay,” Adeyemi stated.