Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, on Monday reassured Nigerian workers that President Muhammadu Buhari was still committed towards improving their welfare.
Ngige, who spoke at the long service/merit award ceremony of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos State, said proof of the president’s commitment was made manifest in the various measures the Federal Government had taken since 2015 to reposition the workforce.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Director/Head Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Charles Akpan and made available to newsmen in Abuja.
Ngige, who further pledged the unalloyed commitment of the Federal Government to continue to uplift the nation’s workforce, stressed that the welfare of Nigerian workers was cardinal to the administration of President Buhari.
While noting that Nigerian pensioners had never been fairly treated as obtained currently through the Pension Transitional Administrative Directorate (PTAD), he urged workers across the country to give their best in service, restating the resolve of the Federal Government to safeguard the rights of workers and promote decent work.
“The welfare of workers is a cardinal objective of the current administration because the President clearly understands the key role workers play in national development. This is manifest in the various measures the Federal Government has taken since 2015 to reposition the workforce.
“We can easily flashback to a number of bailout funds he gave to states to pay salaries of workers as well as the unprecedented payment of decades long arrears of salaries and allowances to the workers in the federal civil service. Let’s not forget that the President also wasted no time in giving his assent to the new national minimum wage.”
The minister also commended the management of the NPA for key-in into the core agenda of the Buhari administration in the labour sector, by promoting social dialogue and embarking on incentives that ginger industrial productivity.