In an effort to combat unemployment nationally, the Federal Government announced that it has started to establish Job Centers across the 774 LGAs of the Federation.
Members of the Labour Correspondents Association of Nigeria (LACAN) paid the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms. Kachollom Daju, a weekend visit in Abuja, and she informed them of this.
Deju revealed that 16 work centers have already been established in different regions of the nation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. She noted that this is a component of the Federal Government’s ambition to bring 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.
“It’s not just the Federal Government, the private sector is intended to play a big role in lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030 because we cannot all be dependent on the government
“The private sector has a special responsibility. And for this reason, the government has demonstrated that for the development plan, a particular percentage is a significant percentage of what is required to guarantee that infrastructure, jobs, and everything else are handled by the private sector. I am aware that the private sector will be crucial to achieving this.
“We’ll collaborate because the Ministry of Labor has a variety of departments and agencies that deal with employment skills. As you are all aware, and as of late, the purpose of the Labour Market Information System, which we are releasing for public awareness, is to ensure that data is gathered.
“Additionally, we’re going to enhance job matching through the Nigerian Electronic Labour Exchange, which has already existed but which we’re only going to enhance in terms of matching job searchers with positions.
“The ministry is improving that and making sure that hopefully, I don’t want to give a specific date but I know that we are, but it has been going on but evidently many Nigerians are not aware of that.
“We currently have about 16 and we intend to establish job centres in all 36 states, Abuja, and the 744 Local Government Areas. This was first done in the 2022 Budget.
“As a way for the government to equitably assist, we want additional job centres established in the 744 Local Government Areas and the states.”
She said that one of the ministry’s entities, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), was created to ensure that the government’s continuous problem with the informal sector was adequately addressed.
Daju claims that the NDE implemented a number of programs that had an impact on everyone and thus decreased employment.
“You have schemes that are only for women, solely for women, you have agric skills, you have mature people skills, and they are trained in various different vocational skills all over the country,” she said. “You don’t just have programs for the youth.
“You truly have a rural infrastructure, where roads are created and hospitals are maintained, and many other things like that. You have bead making, mechanic training, and so many other other things.”