House of Reps Chairman on Labour lauds Tinubu’s LEEP initiative

By Kunle Sanni

The Chairman of the House Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity, Adegboyega Adefarati, has praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recently launched “Renewed Hope Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme” (LEEP).

This initiative, revealed during Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day celebrations, aims to address the nation’s unemployment crisis significantly.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Adefarati described LEEP as a bold step toward revitalizing Nigeria’s labor market and boosting job creation.

Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows a fluctuating unemployment rate, which decreased to 4.1% in Q1 2023 but climbed to 5.0% by Q3 2023. Adefarati stressed the urgent need for sustainable employment programs like LEEP to counter this trend.

Aimed at creating 2.5 million jobs annually, LEEP aligns with the Federal Ministry of Labour’s focus on employment generation, shifting its approach from labor dispute resolution to directly enhancing job opportunities nationwide.

Adefarati highlighted the socioeconomic benefits of the program, noting that increased job opportunities would raise household incomes, reduce poverty, and foster economic growth.

The program is expected to improve the unemployment and underemployment rates and enhance the employment-to-population ratio, which currently stands at 75.6%.

Adefarati called for collaboration among government agencies, private sector actors, and civil society to ensure the successful implementation of LEEP, emphasizing its potential to drive national development.

He commended President Tinubu’s leadership, urging all stakeholders to unite in achieving the goal of creating a more prosperous Nigeria.