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Tag: Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association

  • NECA frowns at ‘late passage’ of Budget 2018

    THE late passage of the budget  shows that Nigeria is not serious, the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) has said.

    NECA Director-General Mr. Segun Oshinowo said in Lagos that the development could drag the nation into a state of inertia.

    He said: “It appears to have become a tradition in this democratic dispensation for the budget to be unduly delayed, thereby plunging the economy into a state of inertia, particularly in the first quarter of the year.

    “This is chiefly because the delay in the passage of the budget would make implementation of the capital expenditure component of the budget for the year an uphill task and these capital expenditure components are needed for sustainable economic growth as against our present growth rate that is premised on improved oil production and increase in crude oil prices in the international market.”

    Oshinowo described the budget as a vital compass expected to give stakeholders information on the likely flow of the economy as well as income and expenditure in a given year.

    He said the budget is an indicator that helps domestic and foreign investors and businesses to plan their economic activities, decisions, projects and expenditures for the year.

    He noted that while Nigeria might be said to be out of recession, as long as the economy is still tied to the apron strings of irrational global oil prices and the country is unable to shore up the foreign reserves significantly, it will take a while to really come out of recession.

    Oshinowo said Nigeria had done well by ratifying the ILO Convention on Child Labour.

    “But, beyond that, we need to domesticate this convention that we have ratified and then declare in our mind what the implementation strategy should be, and I think that is where the problem is. Over the years, with the support of the ILO, quite a number of initiatives have been commenced in Nigeria to reduce child labour.

    “As an employers’ group, we served on the tripartite committee, which the Ministry of Labour has set up to be on top of this matter.

    “Though we cannot acknowledge  various challenges we have in trying to reduce the incidence of child labour, unlike the developed world, where the formal economy is larger than the informal economy, in our own case, the informal economy is much larger than the formal and you have the incidence of child labour being more persevative in the informal sector of the economy.

    “Unfortunately, the workers’ organisations are shunning the insignificant figure in extending its tentacles to the informal sector, neither has the ministry of labour been able to actually spread its inspectorate machinery to really be on top of the situation.”

  • Don’t make health insurance scheme compulsory, stakeholders tell LASG

    Some residents of Lagos State spoke against making the state health insurance scheme compulsory.

    The stakeholders made this known at a-day stakeholders’ meeting on, “A Bill for a Law to Amend the Lagos State Health Scheme, 2015,” held at the Lateef Jakande Auditorium, Assembly Complex.

    The meeting was organised by the Lagos State House of Assembly Ad-hoc Committee on Health Services headed by Hon. Segun Olulade.

    The stakeholders were particular about Section 6 of the amendment, which stipulates that the scheme shall be compulsory and applicable to all residents of the state.

    They said that some residents have been covered by one health insurance scheme or the other, and that the amendment would lead to multiple taxations.

    The extant provision states that the scheme shall be compulsory and apply to all residents of the state that are not covered by an existing health scheme.

    The section also says that all residents in the formal or informal sector must provide evidence of being covered by the scheme or an existing scheme.

    In his contributions, Mr Francis Ogunremi, the Chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Lagos State, said that a representative of TUC should also be a member of the board just as a member of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was included

    Ogunremi said that some residents in both formal and informal sectors have health schemes already, and that making the scheme compulsory will not work. He called on the Assembly to look into this and harmonise it to avoid confusion.

    Mr Thompson Akpabio from the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), who spoke on Section 2  said that the extent of  the supervisory role of the ministry on the board was not clear. He suggested oversight instead of supervision to avoid clashes.

    On section 6, Akpabio said: “I will urge that we maintain the status quo, not making the scheme compulsory. The extant provision should not be amended. This scheme should be only for those not covered under any existing scheme,”

    Dr Sylvester Akande, from USAID, who also reacted to sections 2 and 6 of the amendment said the relationship between the board and the ministry of health should be well spelt out.

    According to another stakeholder, Mr Obinna Okechukwu, it would not be reasonable to say that those who are already on National Health Insurance Scheme should also buy into the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme.

    On the sections 2 and 6, the Speaker said that the House would look at the strength of the submissions and factor them into the final bill.

    Speaker of the State Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa said earlier in his keynote address that the state could not leave the health services to chance, hence the need to amend the state health scheme, 2015.

    “Health is wealth and the state government is poised to improving health of its residents. Nigerian constitution puts insurance on exclusive legislative list.

    In an overview of the bill, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, the Majority Leader of the House said that the Assembly was proposing an amendment to only six sections of the 64- section- state’s Health Insurance scheme.

    Earlier in his welcome address, Hon. Segun Olulade, Chairman, Ad hoc Committee on Health Service said that the amendments would lead to a robust and good law that would improve healthcare delivery in the state.

    “I believe that we are on the path of positive improvement on the things that have to do with hearty .

    “All over the world, no government can on its own fund the health sector, so the health scheme is part of the inclusive policy of the Ambode’s administration aimed at ensuring all residents of the state.

    “It will help, especially those at the lower rung of the ladder, access qualitative medical services on real time.

    “This is a law that allows us to do the Health Insurance Scheme, which is targeted at the most needy and the poor that cannot afford ordinary healthcare.

    “We believe that if we pull the resources of every other person in the state together, those that cannot afford will have a chance to access qualitative healthcare,” he said.

    The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris told newsmen that the amendment came from the state executive council based on its commitment to improve healthcare.

    On the plan to make the scheme compulsory, Idris said:”We believe it should be made compulsory for all residents to have health insurance scheme in the spirit of universal health coverage.

  • NECA out with platform to tackle youth unemployment

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has introduced an online solution initiative tagged: NECApreneur, to tackle youth unemployment.

    NECA said the initiative was aimed at providing easy access for the teeming Nigerian youths to upscale and upgrade their skills in entrepreneurship and business planning.

    The national umbrella body of employers in Nigeria said the programme was part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) aimed at bringing its expertise and high-profile network to work with the government in equipping youths to embrace entrepreneurship.

    At a training organised by the association in Lagos, its Director-General, Olusegun Oshinowo, urged youths to take their destiny in their hands and embrace entrepreneurship as a veritable employment option.

    He advised them to position themselves and take advantage of business opportunities without being discouraged by the current situation of the country, noting that the prospects and potential for the economy are quite great.

    “With NECApreneur, we will empower and inspire them by ways they can turn their business ideas into profitable businesses, connect and link them with our high profile network,” he said, assuring the youth that they will get the best out from the initiative.

    He continued:“The whole idea is to create a clime where we can get our undergraduates before they leave the university and for graduates to embrace entrepreneurship, a situation where unemployment has reached the roof top, we demand a new approach.”

    NECApreneur Project Manager, Peter Aire, who took the audience through the rudiments of the two months training, which runs in three stages, described NECApreneur online as a one-stop-shop where all the resources a young entrepreneur requires to succeed are encapsulated.

    According to Aire, “we recruit on that platform, train and provide them with relationships that they require to make success of their entrepreneurships. The requirements by NECApreneur include internship, support and funding.”

    The programme had heads from the entrepreneurship departments from universities and other organisations in attendance and they all spoke at length on how they had gone beyond the National University Commission (NUC) curriculum to inculcate entrepreneur as a course of study and how they had groomed their students to become prospective entrepreneurs.

  • FG needs to boost job creation, says NECA boss

    FG needs to boost job creation, says NECA boss

    Mr Olusegun Oshinowo, Director General of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has urged the federal government to boost job creation this year through providing the enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

    Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Nation, Oshinowo who also serves as a Director of Nigerian-German Chemicals PLC including boards such as the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Nigeria Labour Advisory Council, National Pension Commission (PenCom), National Orientation Agency, and the National Health Insurance Scheme, noted that, “The unemployment situation is worrisome. We have a youthful population, which ordinarily should be a demographic blessing but unfortunately has become an economic challenge in terms of providing gainful employment.”

    The focus, he emphasisied, “Should be on job creation and not job loss because most of the factors important for job creation will stem job loss. The supply of labour into the economy has far outstripped demand. The problems are double faced: quantity and quality. Given the scope of the problem, we require a multi- pronged approach/solution that will include promotion of sustainable enterprises through an enabling business environment, sustainable and pervasive good governance at all levels of government, effective and job-focused macro-economic policy framework, political restructuring that will lead to creation of multiple productive and economic centres, educational reform to enthrone functionality as against literacy, indigenous employment-supportive immigration policy, comparative advantage-based backward and forward integration. This is the long term solution to our unemployment malaise.”

    On NECA’s position as far as job retention is concerned, the NECA boss maintained that “Job retention is a function of the health of the economy. It cannot be decreed by government’s policy pronouncement or legislated. Employers do not derive joy from getting rid of their prized assets-their human resource. It is the primary responsibility of the government to promote job retention through creation of an enabling environment that is supportive of business growth.”

    In his assessment of the federal government initiatives like the Economic and Growth Recovery Plan, Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), he said: “These are all laudable initiatives. They, however, must be outcome-focused and share with the public on an ongoing basis the difference they have made to the polity.”

    On NECA’s position on the federal government plans to pay the much hyped minimum wage this year, he said: “NECA had taken part in all past discussions on the National Minimum Wage and it is on record that our members respected the outcome of the processes. Our position and disposition will not be any different this time around. We must however remember that the purpose of the National Minimum Wage is not to create a general salary increase in the economy but to set a threshold wage for the vulnerable and the weak elements in the labour market.”

     

  • OPS decries effects of bad Apapa roads on businesses

    OPS decries effects of bad Apapa roads on businesses

    The Organised Private Sector ( OPS )  has urged the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the problem of bad access roads to Apapa ports in Lagos which is affecting the cost of businesses.

    The OPS spoke on Wednesday at a conference in Lagos on the Petroleum Industry Bill and the impact of bad roads in Apapa on businesses.

    The OPS comprises Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association ( NECA ), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria ( MAN ) and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture ( NACCIMA ).

    The others are the National Association of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises ( NASME ) and the National Association of Small Scale Industries ( NASSI ).

    Mr Segun Oshinowo, Director-General of NECA, said many companies would close shop if Apapa roads remained bad.

    “The OPS is concerned about access roads to the Apapa ports. It is affecting overhead costs of businesses of  our members.

    “Preventable accidents as a result of the bad roads lead to huge loss of revenues; loss of jobs and closure of businesses. This will further worsen trade facilitation,’’ Oshinowo said.

    He advised the government to create alternative roads, put measures in place to free traffic and proffer lasting solutions to gridlocks in Apapa.

    On the Petroleum Industry Bill, Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadiri, Director-General of MAN, advocated creation of two regulatory bodies for the petroleum industry as against one body recommended in the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill ( PIGB ) before the National Assembly.

    Ajayi-Kadiri said that there was the need to avoid “costly mistakes’’ that could work against reforming the sector.

    Read also: Fed Govt to shut depots over Apapa gridlock

    According to him, one of such mistakes is a provision in the PIGB for a single regulator for the industry.

    He said that two regulatory bodies – one for the upstream and another for the downstream – would serve the sector better.

    “A cursory look at some of the provisions of the PIGB revealed the likely emergence of the Petroleum Regulatory Commission (PRC) – an omnibus commission that will be empowered to regulate the entire petroleum sector.

    “We do not share the view of the Assembly on creation of a regulator for a sector that is not homogenous in its activities and deliverables.

    “The idea of a single regulator for the whole sector runs contrary to industry standards which by default already provides for an upstream and downstream regulator, ‘’ Ajayi-Kadiri said.

    The director-general of MAN said that the responsibilities of the proposed commission was too wide as it cut across various value chains in a key sector of the economy.

    He commended the National Assembly for taking steps to reform the petroleum industry through the PIGB, and called for accelerated actions.

    NAN