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Tag: Ibukun Odusote

  • FG restates commitment to workers welfare

    The Federal government on Thursday said that President Muhammadu Buhari led administration was committed to the promotion of healthy working conditions for Nigerian workers in line with International Labour Standards.

    Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mrs Ibukun Odusote, who disclosed this Thursday at a three day workshop on Report Rendition on International Labour Organisation (ILO) Unratified Conventions and Recommendations in Abuja, said the Federal Government recognized that a stable and harmonious industrial relations climate and decent work for all are critical instruments for the realization of the goals and targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of job creation, improved livelihoods and sustainable development in Nigeria.

    According to her, “I wish to emphasise that the effective implementation or application of International Labour Standards and prompt reporting on them is recognized as one of the best strategies of strengthening labour administration and promoting decent work world over. The Federal Government recognized that a stable and harmonious industrial relations climate and decent work for all are critical instruments for the realisation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.”

    Represented by the Director Human Resources Management, Ibrahim Ajibola the Permanent Secretary urged participants to avail themselves of the opportunity provided by the workshop as the task of reports rendition was not an easy one.

    “The responses to be compiled by the various Ministries, Department and Agencies as well as the social partners gathered here will go a long way in charting the way forward with regards to current and emergent trends and employment arrangements which have gained great relevance with the transformation of the world of work as a result of globalisation.

    “I wish to acknowledge that the Ministry is aware that some of you will be reporting on Unratified Conventions for the first time. This workshop is therefore directed at developing and strengthening the capacity of focal persons within the Ministries and Social Partners to effectively report on ILO Unratified Conventions. I, therefore enjoin all participants to seize this opportunity and utilize it to their full advantage,” she urged.

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    Earlier, in his remarks, the Director, Productivity Measurement and Labour Standards, Eyewumi Neburagho said that the workshop was aimed at developing the capacity of focal officers to know the relevance of effective reporting of ILO instruments, believing that if this objective was met, Nigeria’s reports would be developed according to the international best standard.

    In their separate remarks, the representatives of the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Mr Adewale Oyerinde, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Com. Benson Upah and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Com. Musa Lawal appreciated the Ministry for the opportunity and pledged the unalloyed support of the social partners to efforts at ensuring prompt report rendition to the International Labour Organisation.

  • 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.

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    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.

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    “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.”

  • Southwest to boost pineapple production to tackle unemployment

    Southwest to boost pineapple production to tackle unemployment

    Big players in the pineapple agribusiness in the South-West are set to come up with modalities with the aim of expanding the potential in the fresh pineapple fruits thereby creating hundreds of jobs in addition to checking the massive importation of the fruit.

    At a stakeholders’ meeting tagged ‘Promotion of Pineapple Agribusiness in the South Western States of Nigeria’, which was organised by the Horticulture Transformation Value Chain, South West Regional Office of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in partnership with the Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States.

    In her keynote address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote,  noted that Nigeria is currently ranked 7th among major pineapple producing countries in the world with progressively increasing national output of 0.91metric tonnes in 2000 to 1.4 metric tonnes in 2012.

    She said: “Amidst the enormous potentials in the industry, Nigeria spends huge amount annually in importing assorted concentrates and related products. In 2009/2010, over 390,000mt of assorted fruit juice concentrates, including pineapple and vegetables valued at over N68billion was imported into the country.”

    Odusote, who was represented by the South-West Regional Director in the ministry, Mr. Olalekan Quadri, stated further, “The increase awareness of health benefits in fresh fruits consumption and Nigeria’s huge population will further strengthen the market, thereby leading to increase in demand and production, job and wealth creation, income generation, bridge demand and supply gap for domestic consumption and export, reduce concentrates importation, earn and conserve foreign exchange as well as achieve sustainable food security.”

    Quadri also disclosed during an interview with The Nation that a market worth over N300billion has been secured in the South-West for pineapple farmers to sell their harvests.

    The Coordinating Head of Homeland Affairs, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), Mr. Oluseye Oyeleye, said the demand for pineapple “is at an all time high in Nigeria and West African sub region in general,” adding that the pineapple industry is worth close to N3billion.

     

     

     

    Deputy Director, Horticulture and Head, Horticulture Transformation Value Chain in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Mike Kanu, averred that horticulture has the potential to provide jobs, generate income, create wealth, ensure raw material processing as well as sustainable food security.

     

  • Agric Ministry trains youths on snail, grasscutter farming

    The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has commenced a training programme for youths in snail and grass-cutter farming.

    The three day training at the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Moor Plantation Ibadan, Oyo State is expected to create wealth for youths by addressing unemployment.

    The permanent secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, who was represented by the deputy director, Women and Gender Mrs. Karima Babangida, urged all participants to show a high level of commitment, involvement and seriousness in the training.

    Mrs. Odusote said the goal of the training was to equip the youths with the skills to start up agribusiness in snail and grasscutter farming.

    The trainees were given starter packs for snail farming, comprising of snail feedstock, cage, feeds, drugs and disinfectants while those in grass-cutter farming got a cage for housing colony of cats and rats (one male and four female and feed) that will promote technology adoption and economic engagement in the enterprises of snail and grasscutter farming.