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Tag: Stephen Ocheni

  • Buhari attached great importance to private sector growth, says Ocheni

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Professor Stephen Ocheni has said that President Muhammadu Buhari attaches great importance to the development and growth of the private sector as well as welfare of workers in the country.

    The Minister who spoke while on an inspection of some industries such as the West African Ceramics, BN Ceramics and the Ajaokuta Steel Company all in Kogi state said the government of President Buhari embraces the growth and development of the private sector which explain why the economic policies are designed to be all inclusive to carry along the private sector.

    He said the “private sector development is a key factor in the economic development of Nigeria that is why President Buhari has embarked on all inclusive economic policy under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plans (ERGP). The policy emphasizes the need to carry along the private sector. Since the private sector development is very key programme in the execution of the economic policy of the Federal government” the Minister said.

    “This Symbolic Factory inspection is designed to ensure that the minimum standards spelt out in the relevant labour Acts and Factory Acts are complied with to ensure that workers have their desired welfare, health and safety and the essence is for us to have improved performance and productivity. This cannot be attained without a healthy workforce. When you have a healthy workforce of course you can expect the attainment of the goal of the organisation which is improved output. Welfare of workers is paramount and minimum standards must be attained” the Minister added.

    Read Also: Buhari pledges more infrastructure for Southeast

    The Director, Occupational Safety and Health, in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr. (Mrs.) Ifeoma Anyanwutaku said the symbolic workforce inspection is the statutory function of the Ministry of Labour and Employment to ensure industrial peace and harmony in the country as contained in the Labour Laws and Factory Acts.

    Accordingly to her the inspection exercise was not a fault finding exercise but aimed at advising both the employer of labour and the employees on the best labour practices in labour administration. The essence is to nip in the bud matters which would have escalated into industrial crises which the present administration frowns at.

    Chairman, West African Ceramics Industries Limited, Honourable Lawal Idirisu said his company has in it’s employment about 750 permanent staff and 250 outsourced workers, adding that the outsourced staff would gradually be absorbed into the system based on viability of vacancies.

    He highlighted the operations and achievements of his organisation and gave a check list of all efforts made by the company to promote worker’s welfare and safety. According to the Chairman, his company has organised in-house workshop on health and is in the process of training about 5o workers on occupational safety and health in the next two weeks

    On the other hand the Managing Director/CEO BN Ceramics Industry Limited, Mr Liu Yangxi, stated that some of the challenges the factory is facing is over bearing issues of multiple taxation, duties and tariffs on imported spares, imported raw materials above all the condition of logistics of moving products to the Nigerian market, therefore appealing to the Federal Government to help reduce some of the challenges.

    While on a facility tour of the Ajaokuta Steel Company, the Sole Administrator Engr. Abdul Akaba Ismaila said that optimum productivity is assured, because without workers welfare and safety, the employer will not have the benefit of maximum output hence the essence of workplace inspection is to strike a balance of a conducive working environment for all.

  • FG to assist ECOWAS in implementing policies

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has said that the Federal Government has pledged to support the ECOWAS Commission in the implementation of its labour and employment programmes and policies in the Region.

    Speaking when he received the ECOWAS Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender Matters, Dr Siga Fatima Jagni in his office, the Minister said the Nigerian government will not shirk in its responsibility to the subregion, adding that the “government and people of Nigeria are an integral part of the ECOWAS, and we will not shirk our responsibilities in that direction”.

    While appreciating the efforts of the Commission in forging unity in the Region, Ngige pledged Nigeria’s continued support to the Commission in realizing its mandate. He assured that “Nigeria would support and adhere to all ECOWAS Labour Migration and Employment policies, and called for proper legalization of such policies, so that people would not be “short-changed and unduly harassed when they export their skills in the region”.

    On the election of President Muhammadu Buhari as the Chairman of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, the Minister said that the Region stood to gain immeasurably, stressing, “We have a President who has zero tolerance for corruption, with a lot of credibility. So, his appointment into the ECOWAS by his colleagues is a step in the right direction”.

    Read Also: ECOWAS to tackle insecurity in Sahel

    Speaking earlier, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender Matters, Dr Siga Fatima Jagne, said her visit was necessitated by the need to seek the support of the Minister for the implementation of labour and employment programmes and policies in the region.

    She further stated that her visit was also to specifically request the Ministry’s collaboration in organizing the forthcoming 2018 General Assembly of the Social Dialogue Forum/Meeting of ECOWAS Ministers in charge of Labour and Employment, with the theme: “Strengthening Social Dialogue for the Promotion of Decent Work in the ECOWAS region”, scheduled to hold in Abuja in December, 2018.

    Speaking further, she congratulated Nigeria on the election of President Muhammadu Buhari as the current ECOWAS Chair of Authority of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.

    In his remarks, the Honourable Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Prof. Stephen Ocheni, said that Nigeria, as the centre of ECOWAS, would continue to play its leading role in the Region, particularly in economic development.

  • 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.”

     

  • Oyegun to Nigerians: Shun detractors of Buhari, APC

    Oyegun to Nigerians: Shun detractors of Buhari, APC

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Saturday called on Nigerians to shun those casting aspersions on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and the party.

    Oyegun made the call at a grand rally to welcome People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ) members who defected to the APC on Saturday in Lokoja.

    The National Chairman said the President was God sent to heal the wounds of Nigerians adding that his administration has made tremendous improvement in the socio-economic and political development of the country.

    He said that the administration has diversified the Nigerian economy from being  oil-dependent to being an agriculture-based.

    He said there was an ongoing expansion of the rail network and power generation has stabilised at 7,000 Megawatts from 3,000 megawatts at the inception of the administration.

    “It is only the beginning of good things that are yet to come,” he said.

    Oyegun urged Nigerians not to listen to detractors of the President but be patriotic and support him to achieve more and make life worth living for every Nigerians.

    “Kogi will be one of the major sponsors on the day President Muhammadu Buhari decides to go for second term. They say we are quarrelling, they say we are fighting,  but credible people are trooping into APC”, he added.

    He advised Kogi people to support the administration of Gov. Yahaya Bello,  saying the governor has positively affected every facet of the state economy.

    “I am happy to be here today. I noticed one of the billboards when I was coming in saying, ‘A New Dawn for Kogi State’.

    “Kogi People, I want to congratulate you for having an energetic governor in Yahaya Bello.  This is a governor that is a good organiser, restless, energetic and full of ideas. I can feel a new energy in Kogi State”, Oyegun said.

    Speaking Gov Yahaya Bello urged Buhari to run for a second term in 2019.

    “We urge Mr President to run and fly in 2019. Twenty-four APC governors are ready to support you under the leadership of the National Chairman of the party, Mr John Oyegun.”

    Bello welcomed PDP members from the three senatorial districts of the state who defected.

    He said the APC was where they belonged in the first place adding, “come and sin no more.”

    He urged those still in PDP to come back home.

    Prof. Stephen Ocheni, Minister of State for Labour and Employment said the crowd was a testimony of the strength of the party in the state.

    Mr Edward Onoja, Chief of Staff to the governor said the party started with nine members of the state House of Assembly and 100,000 members,  but now has 19 legislators and  500,000 members.

    NAN

  • Minister supports Kogi Governor on fiscal discipline, urges ASUP shelve strike

    Minister supports Kogi Governor on fiscal discipline, urges ASUP shelve strike

    The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Prof. Stephen Ocheni, has expressed satisfaction with the performance of Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi in his quest for financial probity and fiscal discipline.

    Ocheni said this at a news conference on the internal security and industrial and labour harmony in Kogi on Monday in Abuja.

    The minister called on the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to call off their strike and embrace dialogue in the interest of their students.

    He also condemned opposition for embarking on campaign of calumny to discredit the Governor.

    He said that it was most unfortunate that opposition politicians were celebrating and politicising the internal security and industrial issues in Kogi instead of condemning it and supporting the government.

    Ocheni said rather than the opposition to join hand with the Governor now that the economy of the state was recuperating for a greater Kogi State, it had embarked on cheap negative blackmail.

    “The government’s is striving hard to put the economy back on sound footing through surgical operation for quick economic recovery,” he said.

    According to him, one of the giant strides in this direction was the massive flushing out of over 20,000 ghost workers in the state civil service.

    He added that the anomaly had gone on in the state since its creation but was halted through a result oriented staff screening exercise.

    He said that the governor had also put in place measures to strengthen the economy of the state through improved fiscal discipline, reduction in corruption, transparency and accountability.

    Ocheni said that the governor had also adopted the contributory pension scheme to ensure that every employee received his retirement benefits as and when due.

    He commended the governor for his achievement on security, adding that the governor’s effort had changed the narratives associated with the past insecurity of lives and property in the state.

    He lauded the governor and the organised labour for the amicable resolution of the industrial dispute in the state.

    “The task ahead is to build a new Kogi state and imbibe the culture of change in order to change the wrong ways of doing government business,” he said.

    NAN

  • Osinbajo assigns portfolio to new ministers

    Osinbajo assigns portfolio to new ministers

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday assigned portfolios to the two ministers sworn in on July 26.

    Stephen Ocheni (Kogi) is now the Minister of State for Labour while Suleiman Hassan (Gombe) is now the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing.

    While Ocheni replaced the late Minister of State for Labour, James Ocholi, who died in a ghastly auto-crash along Kaduna-Abuja highway in 2016, Hassan replaced Amina Mohammed, who resigned as Minister of Environment to take up the job of Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

    Osinbajo also sworn in the new permanent secretaries before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.