Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has decried the current rate of unemployment in the country.
He described it as “clearly unacceptable.’’
Ngige made the statement on Thursday in Abuja at the Review of the National Employment Policy Validation Workshop.
The workshop was organised by the ministry in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other stakeholders.
Ngige declared that no nation would develop by leaving out a huge percentage of its human resources from national development processes.
He said: “a recent World Bank Report in 2015 indicated that Nigeria needs to create 50 million jobs between 2010 and 2030 to reduce unemployment.
“It will also improve the standard of living, increase productivity and boost societal peace and cohesion.
“Therefore, there is an urgent need to engage a larger per cent age of the productive age from 15 to 16 years in safe, fairly remunerated and sustainable means of livelihood.
“This is either as wage earners or self-employed, while preserving existing gainful employments.’’
The minister said that Nigeria needed `urgent and comprehensive approach’ to address the problem of unemployment by government at all levels.
He noted that it was for this reason that the National Employment Policy was formulated and approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2002 to accelerate economic growth and development.
“Though the policy specifically indicates that a major policy review and possible revision will be undertaken every three to six years, regrettably, this was not done.
“The document gradually became outdated and ineffective in directing national efforts toward full and productive employment.
“In recognition of this reality, my ministry with the active support of the ILO commends the process of reviewing the National Employment Policy in 2014,’’ he said.
According to Ngige, the review is borne out of the need to come up with additional strategies that will be adopted to further stimulate employment, intensive growth and raise the economy.
He added that the review is also intended to develop new strategies to address the challenges of unemployment, underemployment and poverty, among others.
Earlier, Dr Clement Illoh, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, said that the policy review was apt and pertinent in addressing increasing disparity between economic growth and low capacity within the economy.
“To this end, the creation of decent work is at the crux of all strategies and initiative of the ministry in recognition its key role as an economic driver,’’ he said.
