THE Federal Government said yesterday the mandate of the ministry of labour and employment was not primarily to settle disputes or create jobs for unemployed citizens, but aid government to ensure there was conducive environment to boost job availability.
The Director of Employment and Wages in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Joseph Akpan, stated this at a one-day workshop on strategic reportage on job creation and employment generation for labour correspondents in Abuja.
Akpan said job availability for the unemployed became a natural course once there was an effective micro and macro-economic policies in place, adding that employment opportunities could witness a boost, if road networks were in good shape and an effective compensation schemes in place as well as other contingencies. He contended that the best option for job creation was self-employment or entrepreneurship because of the capacity for expansion.
The director regretted the misconception about the ministry, saying more often than not, job seekers besieged the ministry looking for jobs but feign ignorance of the actual functions of the department.
Also speaking in his opening remarks, the Director, Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, Olajide Oshundun, lamented that many Nigerians held the erroneous belief that the labour ministry was only cut out to settle industrial disputes, particularly strike actions.
He said these insinuations necessitated the workshop to promote a better understanding of the workings of the ministry.