We won’t pay N5000 to people for indolence – FG

Dr. Chris Ngige- Minister for Labour & Employment.

The Federal Government of Nigeria will not pay stipends of five thousand naira for people to be indolent.

This was the stand of Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige when he addressed journalists at the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Secretariat in Abuja.

Last year, Nigeria’s governing party, APC made the campaign promise to pay 5000 thousand naira to the unemployed and aged in the country but the Minister said that no country in the world can afford to pay stipend to her citizens to be indolent, so Nigeria will not be different.

He explained that the people who will be given stipends are those undergoing different government trainings.

“We will pay some people N5000, we will pay some N10,000, and even for people in teacher conversion scheme, we will pay more than N10,000, N15,000 as stipend while in training, and then after the training they are going to be employed by state government and the federal government in different institution. It is not a programme we shall run alone, the state governments are going to buy into it, they are going to synchronize with us, we are going to do it in synergy.

He said that the present administration has some poverty alleviating and employment generating programs, like the five hundred teachers conversion scheme which will involve the joint efforts of various ministries.

“It will span through Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and my place (Ministry of Labour). Agriculture, because we have some agricultural Universities, we will convert some people to teach the relevant agricultural science.”

Skill Acquisition

On Skills Acquisition Scheme, Dr. Ngige said the Ministry has specialist skills acquisition centres under the Commissioner of skills or directorate for skills.

He said his Ministry will collaborate with the National Directorate of Employment, NDE in training people to acquire skills in different fields.

“The NDE has over 120 skills acquisition centres scattered all over the country, we also have those that have been built by state government and we want to capture all of these into that scheme and then get people to the scheme; to be bricklayers, to be POP designers, builders, welders, electronics repairer and the one they call Mecha-tronic, repair of vehicles, automobile carpentry, painting and fabrication of all sorts.

“We are going to do it, teach people, and give them certification, because many people do not know that Ministry of Labour is the only place that can certify tradesmen.  This skills acquisition centres are in grades, we have grade A certification, Grade B, Grade C, D and E Certification, they all still exist.

“So we have decided that we have to train our own youths, let them use their hands to fend for themselves. We will also want to advance some of them into entrepreneurship. If you are very good, we can open a place for you and give you money through the Bank of Industry and SMEDAN and then you move to the next stage where a number of youth will work with you.” VON report.