Labour needs to support federal government- Minister

Innocent Raphael

The Minister for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, has said that the Federal Government has achieved about 90% of the agreement it had with the organised labour last October.

Onyejeocha added that it is time for the labour to support the government.

Speaking during a chat on Channels Television, Onyejeocha said the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (TUC), Joe Ajaero, told government representatives at a meeting on Sunday that the protest was not about the government’s commitment to the October agreement but food inflation.

The minister said food security and economic prosperity were part of the priorities of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, as she assured the administration is in its planting season with harvest on the horizon.

Appealing to Nigerians to be patient with the new government, Onyejeocha disclosed that the Federal Government had ticked about 90% of the 15-point memorandum of understanding it signed with the organised labour on October 2, 2023.

She said, “I can say that we have achieved almost 90 per cent of our agreement with Labour. And of course, I know that people are hungry. But the federal government is doing everything possible in tackling it. We met with the minister of agriculture yesterday and briefed them on way forward.

“So I believe that Labour is just being Labour. They have to show that they are in solidarity with Nigerians, they have to show empathy. But I’m saying this again that we are in very precarious times. Everybody at this time needs to show patriotism. Everybody needs to be on the same page with the government, including Labour.”

According to her, some of the agreements include granting wage award of N35,000 to workers, inauguration of minimum wage committee as well as creating more jobs for Nigerians.

“The president has said that this times without number that he’s with Nigerians, and that’s why under the ministry of labour and employment, we have embarked on an employment empowerment where we are going to give 2.5 million jobs to Nigerians in one year,” she said.

On the provision of high capacity CNG buses for mass transit in Nigeria, the minister said funds had been released for the purpose but hinted there were certain factors beyond the ministry’s control, suc as the number of days a shipment or a container will stay in the port.