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Tag: Jobs

  • Buhari signs executive order to prevent foreigners from getting jobs Nigerians can do

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Abuja signed Executive Order 5 to improve local content in public procurement with science, engineering and technology components.

    The Executive Order is expected to promote the application of science, technology and innovation towards achieving the nation’s development goals across all sectors of the economy.

    The president, pursuant to the authority vested in him by the constitution, ordered that all ‘‘procuring authorities shall give preference to Nigerian companies and firms in the award of contracts, in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007.’’

    The Executive Order also prohibits the Ministry of Interior from giving visas to foreign workers whose skills are readily available in Nigeria.

    It, however, notes that where expertise is lacking, procuring entities will give preference to foreign companies and firms with a demonstrable and verifiable plan for indigenous development, prior to the award of such contracts.

    In the proclamation entitled ‘‘Presidential executive order 5 for planning and execution of projects, promotion of Nigerian content in contracts and science, engineering and technology,’’ the president also directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design and execution of national security projects.

    It adds that ‘‘consideration shall only be given to a foreign professional, where it is certified by the appropriate authority that such expertise is not available in Nigeria.’’

  • Agriculture created six million jobs in two years – Ogbeh

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said on Monday that agriculture sector created six million jobs in the in the last two years.

    Ogbeh said this while analysing the achievements of his ministry and 2018 targets of the ministry at a strategy retreat in Abuja.

    The minister was reacting to reports that over four million jobs had been lost in over two years of President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

    He explained that the six million jobs were created both on and off farms as a result of the huge increase in local rice production.

    According to him, our agriculture is heavily manual and to be able to reduce rice importation by 95 per cent, at least six million extra jobs have happened in the farm.

    “There are about 12.2 million members of the Rice Growers Association; we have created more jobs than we have lost,’’ he said.

    The minister said the country earned $31m from the sale of purple hibiscus popularly known as zobo leaves in the last one year and that the demand was still increasing.

    “We are exporting more than we are importing now and most exportation is agro-products.

    “We are growing in agriculture and from the middle of this year; whoever chooses to eat Thailand rice is welcomed to pay duties.

    “We shall impose duties on it because we consider it a wasteful luxury and something this country can’t afford,’’ he said.

    Ogbeh said the Federal Government would also engage in establishing both cashew and cocoa plantations to boost production and export in 2018.

    He said that plans are underway to make the country leading producers of cashew nuts.

    The minister said that fertiliser blending would also be improved to accommodate micronutrients in the product.

    Ogbeh said the government would also work to ensure quality control of produce both for export and local consumption.

     

    NAN

  • Over four million Nigerians lost their jobs in 2017 – NBS

    Over four million Nigerians lost their jobs in 2017 – NBS

    Latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that a total of 4.07 million Nigerians lost their jobs between January and September 2017.

    The bureau in the report (for the third quarter), made released and made available to newsmen on Friday, stated that the number of Nigerians that became unemployed rose from 11.92 million in the first quarter of this year to 13.58 million and 15.99 million in the second and third quarters respectively.

    It said between the second quarter and third quarter, the number of economically active or working-age population (15 – 64 years of age) increased from 110.3 million to 111.1 million.

    The NBS report said the increasing unemployment and underemployment rates imply that although Nigeria’s economy is officially out of recession, domestic labor market is still fragile and economic growths in the past two quarters in 2017 have not been strong enough to provide employment in Nigeria’s domestic labor market.

    It reads in part, “The labor force population increased from 83.9 million in Q2 2017 to 85.1 million in Q3 2017. The total number of people in full-time employment (at least 40 hours a week) declined from 52.7 million in Q2 2017 to 51.1 million in Q3 2017.

    “The unemployment rate increased from 14.2 per cent in Q4 2016 to 16.2 per cent in Q2 2017 and 18.8 per cent in Q3 2017.

    “The number of people within the labor force who are unemployed or underemployed increased from 13.6 million and 17.7 million respectively in Q2 2017, to 15.9 million and 18.0 million in Q3 2017.

    “Total unemployment and underemployment combined increased from 37.2 per cent in the previous quarter to 40 per cent in Q3 2017.”

    It said during the third quarter of this year, 21.2 per cent of women within the labor force that were between the ages of 15 years and 64 years and willing, able, and actively seeking work were unemployed, compared with 16.5 per cent of men within the same period.

    The NBS noted in the report that in the third quarter of this year,16.4 per cent of rural and 23.4 per cent of urban dwellers within the labor force were unemployed. It added that the rate of unemployment is increasing at a slightly faster rate for urban dwellers than it was for their rural counterparts.

  • 65 media workers killed doing their jobs in 2017- Report

    65 media workers killed doing their jobs in 2017- Report

    Media freedom organisation, Reporters Without Borders, said on Tuesday that 65 media workers around the world have been killed doing their jobs in 2017.

    The organisation said among the dead were 50 professional journalists, seven citizen journalists and eight other media workers.

    It said the five most dangerous countries were Syria, Mexico, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Philippines.

    Of those killed, the organisation said 35 died in regions where armed conflict is ongoing while 30 were killed outside of such areas.

    It said 39 of those killed were targeted for their journalistic work such as reporting on political corruption or organized crime while the other 26 were killed while working due to shelling and bomb attacks, for example.

    “It’s alarming that so many journalists were murdered outside of war zones,” said Katja Gloger, a board member of Reporters Without Borders.

    “In far too many countries perpetrators can assume they’ll get off scot-free if they’re violent towards media professionals,” she added.

    The organisation said more than 300 media workers were currently in prison, with around half of those in five countries, namely Turkey, China, Syria, Iran and Vietnam.

  • Intermodal transportation will reduce fares, create jobs – Amaechi

    Intermodal transportation will reduce fares, create jobs – Amaechi

    The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi on Monday said the development of intermodal transportation would reduce fares and create more jobs in the country.

    Amaechi made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the 15th National Council on Transportation in Sokoto.

    The minister, who was represented by Sabiu Zakari, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said intermodal transportation would reduce congestion at the ports and create jobs.

    “ The development of intermodal transportation would reduce the cost of transportation, the influx of people and trucks to port cities thereby reducing congestion at the ports.

    “Create jobs by the optimal utilization of the various modes, develop modern transport infrastructure as the need arises and extend the life of the already existing ones.

    “By reducing the over reliance in a single mode, like we have done on the road mode in Nigeria,” Amaechi said.

    He said government has made modest strides in linking Apapa port to rail, saying bonded containers are being transported by rail from Apapa port to the Inland Container Nigeria Limited (ICNL) depot in Kaduna.

    Amaechi said plans were underway to connect all the seaports, airports and all the Inland Container Depots by rail.

    The minister said the economy was down and needs the transportation sector to contribute immensely to the economy.

    Declaring the event open, the Sokoto State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu called for the extension of railway lines from Kauran Namode in Zamfara State to Sokoto.

    Aliyu, also the state Commissioner for Works and Transports, urged the Federal Government to establish Inland port in Illela Local Government, being centre for commerce.

    The deputy governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alhaji Bello Abubakar, expressed government’s readiness to revive business activities in the state.

    Presenting his first lecture, Dr Aminu Yusuf, the Director General, Nigeria Institutes of Transport and Technology (NITT), Zaria, called for integration of transportation sector to model system.

    He said that Nigeria is signatory to World Trade Organisation (WTO), hence the need for liberation of transportation to international standard.

     

     

    NAN

  • FG to provide 200,000 jobs for artists

    FG to provide 200,000 jobs for artists

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says over 200,000 jobs will be created with the N300 million credit facility provided by the Bank of Industry (BOI), for artists.

    The minister made the disclosure at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), between BOI and the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) in Abuja on Friday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports the MoU was presented to the minister by Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director-General of NCAC.

    “I have been reliably informed that top on the list of the benefits that will accrue from this landmark MoU is creation of over 200,000 jobs for the sector.

    “This is epochal and in line with one of the cardinal programmes of this administration, which is job creation and empowerment’’, he said.

    The minister explained the MoU would act as a catalyst for the development of the country’s craft industries, create a financing window and assist NCAC members in capacity building.

    Mohammed also said the MoU would encourage producers of cultural products and services to work toward attaining standard of modern practices in packaging of nation’s cultural products.

    He said that the memorandum would also enable artists to compete favourably at the global markets and earn them a decent living.

    Mohammed urged all states to take advantage of the loan for the development of the creative sector in their domains.

    He said the details of how to access the fund would form a major part of discussions at the forthcoming meeting of Chief Executives of Culture in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, from May 9 to May 12.

    The minister congratulated Runsewe for achieving the feat and putting the event together, few days after he assumed office.

    He also appreciated the Acting Managing Director of BoI, Mr Waheed Olagunju, for his support and partnership.

    The minister described the MoU as `a right step in a right direction and one of the biggest achievements the sector had recorded in recent time.’

    He said the Ministry had signed MoU with local and international partners, including the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the British Council, to develop the capacity of creative artists.

    Earlier, Runsewe said it was the first time in the history of the country that the industry was given a single digit approach to loans.

    He disclosed that two other similar MoUs were in the offing for the development of the sector

    Runsewe commended the minister for changing the nation’s narrative under his leadership and for his passion for the development of the culture and creative sector.

     

     

    NAN

  • India Infosys plans to hire 10,000 U.S. workers

    India’s U.S. based IT services firm, Infosys Ltd said late on Monday that it plans to hire 10,000 American workers in the next two years and open four technology centres in the United States, starting with a centre this August in Indiana, the home state of Vice President Mike Pence.

    The move comes at a time when Infosys and some of its Indian peers such as Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro have become political targets in the United States for allegedly displacing jobs of American workers by flying in foreign workers on temporary visas to service their clients in the country.

    The IT service firms rely heavily on the H1-B visa programme, which President Trump has ordered federal agencies to review.

    In a telephone interview with Reuters from Indiana, Infosys CEO, Vishal Sikka said his company plans to hire American workers in fields such as artificial intelligence.

    He said the firm has already hired 2,000 American workers as part of a previous effort started in 2014.

    “When you think about it from a US point of view, obviously creating more American jobs and opportunities is a good thing,” Sikka said.

  • May Day: 21,000 AT&T Wireless workers could strike Monday

    21,000 AT&T Wireless workers could go on an industrial strike action beginning Monday following a 72-hours ultimatum issued on Friday by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) to the company.

    The CWA union members have been working on a rolling extension of their previous labour contract since early February, according to a CNN report.

    The notice of the possible strike is coming the same day as AT&T’s shareholder meeting in Dallas.

    “We have given AT&T every opportunity to show their commitment to finding common ground and a fair contract,” the CNN report quotes Dennis Trainor, Vice President of CWA District 1, as saying.

    “Time is running out for AT&T to stop undermining good jobs, quality customer service and its long-term success. The pieces are all in place now, and we’ll strike if necessary,” the Vice President said.

    Just because the union has given 72-hour notice doesn’t mean a strike will necessarily start on Monday said AT&T spokesman Marty Richter. And even if there is a strike, the company has contingencies to continue to serve customers, he said.

    “We continue to bargain with the union and remain confident a fair agreement can be reached,” it said in a statement, adding: “The contract covers good paying US jobs averaging nearly $70,000 a year in pay and benefits”.

    Richter also pointed out that the deal with CWA doesn’t cover all the unionized employees at AT&T Wireless.

    Between 40% and 50% of the employees covered under this CWA contract work in the company’s stores. Roughly the same proportion work in its call centres and about 10% are field technicians.

    The union says that AT&T has eliminated more than 12,000 US call centre jobs and offshored thousands of other call centre jobs to Mexico, the Philippines, India, the Dominican Republic, among other countries. It is seeking to end offshoring in the contract talks. It also is seeking limits on AT&T’s use of third-party dealers, known as “authorized retailers,” rather than company-owned stores.

    In addition to the unionized wireless employees, there are 17,000 CWA members at AT&T West’s wireline unit as well as DirecTV, which is owned by AT&T, who have been working without a contract for more than a year. They went on strike for one day in March before returning to work.

    The company did reach a deal covering 20,000 workers at AT&T Southwest in March, in which it agreed to bring 3,000 outsourced jobs back to the U.S. The company said it also reached a labour deal earlier this week with another union, the IBEW, agreeing to hire 1,000 people and open a new call centre in Chicago.

    AT&T has agreed to purchase Time Warner, which owns CNN and CNNMoney, although that deal is still awaiting regulatory approval.

  • Economic Recovery Plan will provide 15m jobs, 10 gigawatt of electricity – FG

    Economic Recovery Plan will provide 15m jobs, 10 gigawatt of electricity – FG

    The Federal Government on Tuesday assured Nigerians that the recently launched Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) will provide at least 15 million jobs by the year 2020.

    The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, revealed this at a news conference on ERGP in Abuja.

    Udoma said that the implementation of the plan would deliver some key outcomes including generation of at least 10 gigawatt of electricity by 2020.

    “We want to bring down the rate of unemployment by creating over 15 million direct jobs by 2020 in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, services and particularly among the youth.

    “We want the manufacturing sector to grow at average of 8.5 per cent, peaking 10.6 per cent by 2020.

    “We want agriculture to also grow by 6.9 per cent over the Plan period; we want self-sufficiency in rice and wheat in 2018 and 2020 at the end of the plan period.

    “We want 60 per cent reduction in imports of refined petroleum products by 2018 and to become a net exporter of refined crude by 2020.

    “We expect an average of 4.6 per cent average real GDP (Gross Domestic Growth) growth rate over the Plan period with 7 per cent by 2020; we want to achieve single digit inflation rate by 2020.

    “We want to increase crude oil output from 2.2 million barrel per day (mbpd) to 2.5 mbpd by 2020.

    “We want to achieve at 10 gigawatt of operational electricity capacity by 2020.’’

    Udoma said that the ERGP evolved from the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) which government had been implementing since 2016.

    “Already, following the implementation of the SIP, the economy has shown signs of early recovery in the 4th quarter of 2016 as indicated in the recent report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    “We need to build on that momentum.

    “This Plan, which succeeds the SIP, sets out Government’s economic programmes and strategic interventions over the next four years (2017-2020).

    “When implemented, it will put Nigeria back on the path of diversified, inclusive, sustained growth. This is therefore, our blueprint for economic recovery and growth.’’

    Udoma further said that the plan would tackle the fundamental problems that held back the progress of the country in the past.

    He said the future prosperity rests upon collective support towards effective implementation of the Plan over the next four years.

     

     

  • FG begins payment of N30,000 stipend to N-Power beneficiaries

    The Federal Government has started the payment of the N30, 000 monthly stipends for beneficiaries of the N-Power scheme -the job creation programme of the Buhari presidency.

    The N-Power programme is designed to engage the teeming and massive numbers of unemployed Nigerian graduates from tertiary institutions across the country.

    The Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity,Office of the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande, disclosed this in an interview on Friday, stating that “ all successfully verified beneficiaries who have provided bank accounts are being processed for payment.’’

    According to the presidential media aide, “some beneficiaries will receive their first stipends today -December 30.’’

    Mr Akande said the process of payment would continue after the New Year Public holiday, urging beneficiaries of subsequent batch of the scheme to take seriously their virtual training.

    “Already, close to 50% of the 200,000 unemployed graduates selected in the first batch of N-Power job program have now been verified and being processed for December stipends’ payment.

    “This process will continue and some will receive their stipends after the New Year public holiday, starting from Tuesday, 3rd of January.

    “ N-Power Volunteer Corps members are encouraged to take their virtual training seriously over this period,’’ Mr Akande said. Mr

    Laolu also encouraged states who had yet to conclude the physical verification process to do so, “as that would enable the N-Power beneficiaries in those states to draw from its benefits & empowerment offers.’’

    The unemployed graduates selected for the N-POWER programme are given assignments that will help to address issues in schools, hospitals and other areas in communities across the country.

    A total of 150,000 out of the 200,000 selected in the first phase of the scheme would be deployed as support teachers to help address shortage of teachers in schools at the basic and secondary levels.

    Another 30, 000 graduates would work as extension workers in various communities which will expectedly aid the government’s diversification agenda.

    In strengthening community health services in line with the agenda of the Buhari administration, 20,000 graduates would be deployed as community health aides, under the first phase of the programme.

    The Federal Government is overseeing the programme by way of providing the funding but the project is going to be implemented in the states by the state governments.