The Ministry of Labour and Employment has tasked journalists on effective reportage of Federal Government agenda on employment generation in the country.
Mr Emmanuel Igbinosun, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, said this at a one-day workshop on Monday in Abuja.
The theme of the workshop organised by the Press and Public Relations in the ministry is “Strategic Reportage on Job Creation/ Employment Generation for Labour Correspondents”.
Igbinosun said that journalists and the mass media have acritical role to play in the success of President Bola Tinubu administration.
According to him, journalists have the task of educating the public on the activities of the government towards delivering on the present government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“As one of the eight-point agenda of this administration, tackling unemployment is central to the success of this administration.
“Every effort and policy of the government on it requires adequate publicity and public awareness.
“The media, as dependable allies of the government in national development, needs to report on them effectively,” he said.
On the workshop, Igbinosun said it was organised for the understanding and strategic reporting of job creation and employment generation aspects of the Ministry’s mandate.
He added that the workshop was also in recognition of the significant role of the media as a strategic partner to the ministry, in actualizing its mandate and delivering on its services.
“The workshop will focus on deepening the knowledge of the Labour correspondents in the functions of the ministry in achieving that,” he said.
He urged all to work together with the federal government in achieving its agenda of generating employment through in-depth and knowledge-based reporting of the government’s efforts and policies in that area.
Also, Mr Joseph Akpan, Director of Employment and Wages in the ministry, said the mandate of the ministry was not primarily to create jobs for unemployed citizens or address issues of strikes.
Akpan said that, rather, the ministry was established to aid the government in power to ensure there was a conducive environment to boost job availability.
He added that employment opportunities can be seen as a boost if the road networks were in good shape and if an effective compensation scheme was in place as well as other contingencies.
Akpan also noted that the best option for job creation was self-employment or entrepreneurship because of the capacity for expansion.
Speaking, Mr Olajide Oshundun, Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry, noted that many Nigerians hold the erroneous belief that the Labour ministry only settled industrial disputes.
He said these insinuations or speculations necessitated the workshop to promote a better understanding of the workings of the ministry.
Also, Dr Tiza Shaakaa, Deputy Director, Skills Development and Certification Department in the ministry, said the ministry had trained and certified over 70000 Nigerians.
He said the training took place between 2020 and 2022 in various skill acquisition programs aimed at bridging the nation’s unemployment gap.
He also noted that the ministry’s newly revised National Employment Policy was ready for the approval of the Federal Executive Council.
Mr Patrick Abulu, Acting Chairman of Labour Correspondents of Nigeria (LACAN) commended the ministry for the efforts to ensure that journalists were educated on the programs of the ministry.
