The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has organized a Town Hall meeting in Abuja for Organized Labour and Employers on the Imperatives of the eight-points agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The eight-points agenda are; Economic Growth and Development, Security and Safety, Education and Human Capital Development, Healthcare Improvement, Infrastructure Development, Agricultural Transformation, Governance and Anti-Corruption, and Social Welfare and Inclusivity.
The meeting focused on increasing awareness of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda and gathering feedback from labour and employers to address labour disputes.
It also aims to boost the visibility of the Labour Ministry as a key advocate for the agenda, in alignment with President Tinubu’s mandates.
The Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha said; ‘this administration’s mantra ‘Renewed Hope Agenda Unity and Progress for all Nigerians’, predicated on eight (8) points focusing on Job
creation, Education, Health, Food security, and Social investment as essential pillars of developing a policy implementation that will reform the economy, ensure inclusive growth, and strengthen security for peace and prosperity….
‘This remains the pledge we made to all Nigerians hence Government is working round the clock to put Nigeria in its pride of place in the World economy.’
‘I therefore make no excuses as this APC led Government is determined and committed to tackling headlong all socio-economic ills that have troubled our nation and we shall by the grace of God Almighty evolve solutions to emerging threats to our well-being as a nation,’ she said.
To uphold the promises made to Nigerians, the Minister said that ‘the government sought and continues to seek to collaborate with policy makers and in this case both employers and workers representatives who she said make development possible by generating and sustaining the momentum.’
The Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing th
e socio-economic challenges and evolving solutions to emerging threats to the nation’s wellbeing.
Mrs Onyejeocha said that the objective of the engagement is to achieve a better and peaceful industrial harmony among other things.
She said; ‘The stakeholders’ engagement is aimed to raise awareness among labour leaders, employers, and civil society organizations; Mobilise the workforce to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda; Foster cooperative labour-government relations, replacing conflict with collaboration.’
The Minister commended the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Governors, Ministers, and other stakeholders to the meeting.
She also expressed confidence in the experts’ ability to proffer implementable strategies to achieve the agenda.
Guest lecturer at the event, Professor George Genyi of the Department of Political Science Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, North central Nigeria, said that Nigeria’s economy and society are at a crossroads with decades of
near total reliance on oil extraction to drive growth and revenue and the implosion of insecurity.
He believed that the reliance on oil revenue stifled the growth of other sectors of the economy and further weakened structural transformation that undermined the creation of employment opportunities.
Professor Genyi said; ‘The cumulative consequences for the state and society are rising poverty, unemployment, unprecedented inflation resulting in cost-of-living crisis and widespread insecurity.
‘The eight-point agenda of Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration represent a social contract with the people of Nigeria consummated at the polls in 2023.
To see to the realization of this social contract is the organized labour that has obtained contractual agreement with the government to accelerate its outcome through improvement in living conditions of the generality of citizens especially workers that seem to have been radically upended with the withdrawal of oil subsidy which has remained the only semblance of governm
ental presence in the lives of the populace.
‘These agreements and the level of implementation holds the promise for industrial citizenship, a diligent implementation of which will achieve the recovery of the economy, stability, and industrial harmony’, he said.
The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, Mr Yemi Cardoso in a message, expressed conviction that every period of adversity presents its own unique set of challenges, which are subsequently followed by a return to stability.
Represented by Mr. Omolola Adegbenga, Head Pensions, CBN, the Governor said the Central Bank of Nigeria’s activities are solely focused on fostering economic development and advancement.
Mr Cardoso, however, stressed that Hope provides the essential foundation for potential achievement, and that concerted efforts will ultimately culminate in exceptional success.
He said; ‘It is not a coincidence that the President came up with Renewed Hope. I believe that every storm comes with challenges, and after which there will be cal
m. Every activities of the CBN is geared towards economic growth and good governance.
‘When you say nothing is impossible, you are right. When you say nothing is possible, you are also right, but I want to let you know that Hope is the foundation of possibility and with collective effort we will achieve greatness.’
The meeting brought together a cross-section of stakeholders from both the private and public sector to engage in a comprehensive examination of the distinctive economic challenges confronting the country and the labour ecosystem, and to discuss strategies for future progress.
Source: Voice of Nigeria