Economy

We will tackle unemployment in Nigeria – Ngige

By Web News 505

The federal government has disclosed, it is planning to launch a labour statistics system where unemployed Nigerians at home and abroad could apply for available jobs.


Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige who made this known to journalists in Abuja, said the move was part of efforts to tackle the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria.


According to the minister, the system will be officially launched in the next one or two months, at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.


“In our electronic labour exchange system, both people who are looking for work and recruiters can enter the system where we merge and match them. We do what is called cross-matching and people are gainfully employed”.

Speaking further, Ngige said his ministry has gotten involved in some international projects with foreign partners, which Nigeria has not hitherto been doing, adding that, for the first time, the American Government was putting up a grant for women and children in Nigeria and Liberia.

Net/Taiwo Akinola

Education

Resumption: ASUP has made a remarkable difference – Ngige

By Web News 514

The federal government has commended the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, for calling off its warning strike and resuming duties.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige in a statement issued in Abuja by Olajide Oshundun, Head, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, said it was heartwarming that the polytechnic lecturers acknowledged the unrelenting efforts of the government towards repositioning higher education in the country.

The Minister was quoted as saying, “ASUP has made a remarkable difference at a time the usual practice is for striking unions to deny that government has moved a needle in implementing agreements reached at negotiations.”

“This union did not only acknowledge the efforts of the federal government, it painstakingly also listed the demands which government has met, while expressing optimism that the rest would similarly be resolved.”

“This is the way to go, a commendable act which other unions in the education sector must copy, moving forward, in holistic resolution of the challenges facing higher education.”

He assured that the government would not relent until all outstanding issues were sorted out.

Dr Ngige, however, urged other unions on strike in the education sector to emulate the polytechnic lecturers and immediately resume work in the interest of their students and the country at large.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP had in a letter to the Minister of Labour and Employment, notified him of the resumption of academic activities across polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in the country with effect from May 30,2022.

According to the letter, this follows the conclusion of the union’s warning strike which took effect from the 16th of May, 2022.

The union further stated, “It is important to note that some progress was made in resolving the issues in contention during the two weeks period. The key areas include: release of arrears of minimum wage to beneficiary institutions/staff; release of normative instruments for institutions, management and programmes accreditation by the NBTE; resolution to withdraw the contentious template for appointment of principal officers by the Federal Ministry of Education; as well as decision on the issue of victimised union officers in the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu and non-payment of salaries in Abia State Polytechnic, Aba.”

“The outstanding issues include non-release of the approved N15B revitalisation fund for the sector; delay in the appointment of substantive Rectors for Federal Polytechnics in Mubi, Offa and Kaduna; non resolution and release of arrears of CONTISS 15 migration for the lower cadre; and non-release of Scheme of Service and Conditions of Service or the sector.”

While expressing appreciation to the minister for the progress made, the union said it was hopeful that the unresolved issues would be attended to expeditiously before its NEC meets on June 22, 2022 to review the situation.

Vanguard/Maxwell Oyekunle

Judiciary

FG Reaches Agreement with JUSUN, PASAN Over Financial Autonomy

By Web News 681

The Federal Government says the implementation of financial autonomy for the state legislature and judiciary will commence next week.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige stated this during conciliatory meeting to resolve the strike embarked upon by Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN and Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN). 

The Minister noted that the Federal Government took into consideration the Executive Order 10, where proposals from all sides and distilled them with the resolve to implement.

He said that implementation would commence with the distribution of the April allocation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, noting that striking legislative and judiciary workers would call off their prolonged strike as soon as implementation begins.

The Special Assistant to the President on Niger-Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang commended the Minister of Labour and Employment Dr Ngige for the matured handling of the labour crisis in Kaduna and the resolution of the complex issues involved in the autonomy for the legislature and Judiciary.

He said the Federal Government took into consideration the Executive Order 10, the proposals from all sides and distilled them with the resolve to implement it.

Senator Enang blamed the past administrations for turning blind eye to the autonomy of the legislature and the judiciary for 21 years, adding that the Governors had studied the document and were in agreement with it.

He clarified that the implementation would commence with the distribution of the April allocation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC.

FRCN Abuja

Lifestyle

May Day: FG Applauds Workers’ Resilience in Nation Building

By Web News 527

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerian workers that the national minimum wage law will remain on the Exclusive Legislative List of the constitution for the protection of vulnerable worker across the country.

President Buhari gave the assurance in a message to Nigerian workers on the occasion of this year’s May Day celebration at Eagle Square, Abuja.

Represented by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, President Buhari noted that he was aware of attempt by some groups to move provision of the law on minimum wage from exclusive list to concurrent list which did not work.

President Buhari who commended Nigerian workers for their resilience and support given in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic since March last year, appealed for more understanding of Nigerians workers in his determination to over come and improve the nation’s socio-economic problems.

The President maintained that despite the hitches caused by the pandemic, his administration would sustain efforts to attain the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union 2063 Agenda on decent work for economic growth.

Joseph Agi

Health

FG, Doctors Reach Agreement to End Industrial Action

By Web News 582

The Federal Government and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD have reached an agreement on the demands by the association to end the ongoing strike by the doctors.

This is contained in a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU released to newsmen at the end of the conciliatory meeting in Abuja, summoned by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, to address the issues that led to the industrial action.

All the nine point demands by the association have been deliberated on one by one and understanding reached preparatory for immediate implementation.

The meeting agreed that the representative of the association is to consult the NARD Executive Council within the next 24 hours with the view to calling off the strike later today.

It will be recalled that the resident doctors have withdrawn their services after the expiration of ultimatum last Monday over failure of Govt to address their demands.

Their demands include the payment of owed arrears of the consequential adjustment of the new national minimum wage to members, permanent new rate of hazard allowance to health workers, domestication of the Residency Training Act by State Governments, provision of group life insurance and payment of death-in-service benefit to the next of kin.

Others are payment of outstanding 2014, 2015 and 20216 arrears to its members and provision of Personal Protective Equipment, PPE at hospitals and Covid 19 isolation centres.

FRCN Abuja