Minister of labour and employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has said his ministry had resolved about 4,000 labour disputes in eight years.
He disclosed this to the State House correspondents yesterday when he appeared at the weekly ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communication Team at the Presidential Villa.
The minister who defended the federal government’s handling of labour disputes, said, “We are proactive. We have conciliated about 4,000 labour disputes. We get Trade Dispute Notice (TDN) and call them for meetings especially in the oil and gas industry.
“Our state offices are doing conciliation on a permanent basis”, he said.
Ngige also revealed that as a result of the recessions the economy suffered in 2025 and 2020, unemployment in Nigeria has more than quadrupled since 2015.
He, however, stressed the need to make efforts to stem the negative impact on the economy and the active population of the country.
“The triple issues of unemployment, poverty and economic disempowerment have remained a disturbing feature of Nigerian life. Unemployment rate in the country has more than quadrupled since the economy slipped into recession, first in 2015 and later in 2020.
“The unemployment rate in Nigeria rose to 9.9% in 2015 as the current administration came on board.
“In the context of ILO definition of unemployment, there is a need to make concerted efforts towards stemming the negative impact of unemployment on the economy and the active population of the country.
“It is in the light of the foregoing that the Federal Government recently inaugurated a Technical Working Group (TWG) on Youth Employment and Skills Development to handle the increasing Youth Unemployment and skills development in the Country”, he said.
On efforts to tackle unemployment and create jobs, Ngige said the incoming administration of APC should consider the blueprint on the Job Creation Office under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
He said his ministry had 125 Skills Development Centres in the six geo-political zones of the country, apart from the 19 Job Centres in Bauchi, Kaduna, Lagos, Abuja, Edo, and Enugu, among others where people received training on bricklaying.
Ngige also disclosed that his ministry was collaborating with United States Labour Department to stop child labour, adding “they make available $75 million to fight poverty in cocoa and minerals producing areas in Nigeria”.
Ngige said the issue of pay rise for the Nigerian workers was being addressed and that the issue going on now is the quantum of money for the pay raise.
He also said the amount to be paid would be based on the availability of funds and the ability to pay.
On migration of Nigerian professionals to another country, Senator Ngige said nobody would stop migration.
According to him, “there is migration from one continent to the other. I am not against migration”.
The minister said his ministry was collaborating with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which helped to equip their Migrant Resource Center.
On what palliative measures would be made available with the plan to remove subsidy on petroleum products, he said “the new government would handle the challenge that will be there”.
While speaking, the minister of state for labour and employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN), said 760,000 persons eventually benefited from the 774,000 special public works scheme, adding N400 million was refunded after the implementation of the programme.
