By Bukola Adewumi
Abuja – The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to adopt its proposal on how it could create four million jobs yearly.
The President of the congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said at the opening of the NLC National Youth Conference in Abuja on Tuesday that it had worked out the modalities for the job creation.
Wabba said that a report was submitted to the Federal Government on how it could ease off the burden of unemployment among the youth.
“The NLC as far back as 2009 had worked with the ILO and the Federal Ministry of Labour to work out an employment initiative during the job summit; that report is still very valid.
“When I see the government running helter-skelter to create jobs, I have always referred them to that document where we have put up an initiative on how four million jobs can be created annually through very wide range of activities.
“This is by looking at all the sectors of our economy, from agriculture to mining and the areas of manufacturing that have not been utilised and I think that report is still very valid,” he said.
He said that the NLC would put pressure on the government to ensure full implementation of the report, adding that it will advance and ensure that the report materialised.
“This is one of the first document we submitted to Dr Chris Ngige as the Minister of Labour and Employment when he assumed office; we encourage the government to try to look through that document.
“We have so many solutions that are yet to be referred to; we have Vision 2010 document which is a very good document that nobody has referred to,” he added.
Wabba said that the NLC did its home work, thought it through and saw the workability of the proposal before submitting it to the Federal Government.
He said that all the challenges “we are passing through today have been envisaged and solutions provided in that document”.
He said that the 2014 conference report envisaged the challenges the country “is passing through and provided enough solution to the problem of unemployment.
“When people are looking for new solutions, I think we are just merely trying to shy away from that challenge.
“That document can be dusted and solution provided,” the labour leader said.
