Minister of Labour and Employment Dr Chris Ngige has said the Federal Government will use certificated skill acquisition to fight unemployment and idleness among Nigerian youths.
Ngige spoke yesterday at the palace of Igwe Chukwuemeka Ilouno, Traditional Ruler of Ifitedunu Community of Anambra.
Ngige was in the palace to receive documents for 3,000 quare metres land for building a Specialised Skill Acquisition in the community.
He said the edifice for the scheme to be built by the Federal Government would have hostels and would offer skill courses with certification in levels one, two and three.
He said the project was a replica of the London City and Guild Academy.
The minister noted that the project would be established in each state under the same model.
Ngige said the first phase of the project, which included skill laboratories, auditorium, water and security facilities, would be delivered in three months.
He also said the second phase of the programme would commence immediately, since the project had been captured in 2018 appropriation bill.
Ngige said: “The Federal Government is looking inward by encouraging specialisation on jobs such as carpentry, bricklaying, tiling, fashion designing, make-up and bead making and interior decoration among others.
“This is to help redeem our youths from joblessness, occasioned by lack of white collar jobs. There are no white collar jobs any longer. If you are waiting for one, you will wait for a long time.
“People are now finding employment in the blue collar jobs, and it is even more profitable. How many of you are aware that the daily pays for carpenters and other artisans have increased?
“In Abuja they collect as high as N10, 000 per day’s job. If they get these per day jobs even if it is only five times in a month, do you know how much that is? How many white collar jobs pay that much in a month.”
He also urged religious and traditional leaders as well as parents to strengthen the moral capacity of the young ones.
… may resume fuel subsidy payment
Strong indications have emerged that the Federal Government may soon resume the payment of petrol subsidy before mid 2018.
Although it is still unclear when this will happen, findings revealed that the outcome of the ongoing interface between the Senate and stakeholders in the oil and gas sector would determine the next policy direction of the Buhari administration on the issue.
Chairman of the Senate committee on Petroleum Downstream, Senator Kabiru Marafa, told newsmen that there was no provision for subsidy payment in the 2018 budget currently before the National Assembly.
He said no formal request has been made by the Government on whether or not it would resume the payment. Marafa did not, however, rule out any possible resumption of the subsidy.
He said his committee and the entire Senate would consider request from the executive in that regard. According to him, any action or decision that will put a permanent end to the perennial fuel scarcity will be considered.
“My friend, we are not there yet. As you are aware, we are currently meeting with officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other people involved. For now, I cannot tell you if we will approve any resumption of subsidy payment.
“If it comes to that, we will do what is best for Nigeria and Nigerians. If at the end of this meetings, the government wants to formally request that we approve subsidy funds, we will consider it. But for now, they have not made such request,” Marafa said.
A member of the committee who spoke to newsmen, said, lawmakers may include in the final report which is expected to be laid on the floor of the Senate, that the Federal Government should resume payment of subsidy on petrol.
He hinted that the Senate will take a position and formally communicate it to President Buhari who is expected to act on it. He said the planned subsidy will only last for one year, until local refineries fully come on stream June next year.
The lawmaker, who does not want to be named, said members of the committee would meet this week to brainstorm on key points made by players in the oil and gas sector and reflect same in the final report.
The Senate committee on Petroleum Downstream, last Thursday, held an investigative public hearing with stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. While the hearing lasted, Marafa did not allow any member of the committee to ask questions related to payment of subsidy.
Despite the fact that the Group Managing Director of NNPC, publicly admitted that the Buhari administration was subsidising petrol, the issue did not come up during the televised hearing.
Recall that the Federal Government ended subsidy payment in 2016, describing the scheme then as a fraud and said the country was losing huge amount of money.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, has told the government to come out clean in the ongoing debate on fuel subsidy.
Rewane said this in an interview on Channels Television, adding that government has to be transparent and tell Nigerians how much is being paid for subsidy.
